APN Professional Development Plan: Achieving Objectives and Advancing Career
The APN Professional Development Plan paper is worth 200 points and will be graded on the quality of the content, use of citations, use of Standard English grammar, sentence structure, and overall organization based on the required components as summarized in the directions and grading criteria/rubric.
Submit the paper as a Microsoft Word Document, which is the required format at Chamberlain University. You are encouraged to use the APA Academic Writer and Grammarly tools when creating your assignment.
Follow the directions below and the grading criteria located in the rubric closely. Any questions about this paper may be posted under the Q & A Forum or emailed to your faculty.
The length of the paper should be 5-8 pages, excluding title page and reference page(s).
Support ideas with a minimum of 3 scholarly resources. Scholarly resources do not include your textbook. You may need to use more than 3 scholarly resources to fully support your ideas.
You may use first person voice when discussing information specific to your personal practice or skills.
Current edition APA format is required with both a title page and reference page(s). Use the following as Level 1 headings to denote the sections of your paper (Level 1 headings use upper- and lower-case letters and are bold and centered):
APN Professional Development Plan (This is the paper introduction. In APA format, a restatement of the paper title, centered and bold serves as the heading of the introduction section)
APN Scope of Practice
Nurse Practitioner (NONPF) Core Competencies
Leadership Skills
Conclusion
Directions
Introduction: Provide an overview of what will be covered in the paper. Introduction should include general statements on scope of practice, competencies, and leadership, and identification of the purpose of the paper.
APN Scope of Practice: Research the Nurse Practice Act and APN scope of practice guidelines for the state in which you intend to practice after graduation. (Example: Students who intend to practice in California must research the California Nurse Practice Act and relevant Board of Registered Nursing regulations, such as obtaining a DEA number, and prescriptive requirements). Describe the educational, licensure, and regulatory requirements for that state in your own words. Identify whether your state allows full, limited, or restricted NP practice. Discuss NP prescriptive authority in your state. Provide support from at least one scholarly source. Source may be the regulatory body that governs nursing practice in your state. (Students who intend to practice in California, include the use of written standard procedures that guide nurse practitioner practice in the state and physician supervision ratios).
Nurse Practitioner (NONPF) Core Competencies: Review the NONPF Core Competencies. Describe two competency areas you believe to be personal strengths and two competency areas in which you have opportunities for growth. Discuss two scholarly activities you could do during the master’s program to help yourself achieve NP competencies. Provide support from at least one scholarly source. Source may be NONPF Core Competencies document provided via the link in the week 2 readings.
Leadership Skills: Analyze three leadership skills required to lead as an NP within complex systems. Describe two strategies you could use to help you develop NP leadership skills. Provide support from at least one scholarly source. Textbooks are not considered scholarly sources.
Conclusion: Provide a conclusion, including a brief summary of what you discussed in the paper.
APN Professional Development Plan
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
APN Professional Development Plan
In the current healthcare landscape, Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) are essential contributors to providing high-quality patient care and improving healthcare outcomes. As outlined by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), APNs are highly educated and trained professionals with an "expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills, and clinical competencies for advanced nursing practice" through additional graduate education, typically at the master's degree level (Sevilla Guerra et al., 2021). APNs, including Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), utilize their expertise and professional autonomy to make clinical decisions, conduct assessments, diagnose and prescribe, manage cases, and serve as the first point of contact for patients (Lopes-Júnior, 2021). To succeed as an APN, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of the range of practice, competencies, and leadership repertoire required in the profession. This paper aims to explore the APN scope of practice for the state where I plan to practice following graduation, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Core Competencies, and the leadership skills necessary to effectively lead within multifaceted healthcare systems as an NP. The goal of this paper is to develop a professional development plan that will aid in achieving my objectives as an APN and advancing my career in the nursing field.
APN Scope of Practice
As a future practitioner in California, I must thoroughly understand the regulations and guidelines outlined by the California Nurse Practice Act and the Board of Registered Nursing regarding the practice space for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). To legally practice as an APRN in California, one should possess a master's degree or higher in nursing, maintain a current registered nurse (RN) license, and possess national certification in their specialty area. Besides, APRNs must complete over 500 hours of supervised clinical practice in their field and pass a national certification exam (Board of Registered Nursing, n.d.). Moreover, APRNs must obtain a providing number from the California Board of Registered Nursing to recommend medications and a DEA number to prescribe controlled substances. These requirements are essential in ensuring that APRNs are adequately equipped to provide safe and effective patient care within their scope of practice.
The requirement of physician oversight governs the regulation of the NP practice in California. Specifically, California is among 22 states in the United States that require NPs to operate under the watch of a physician (Spetz, 2018). This oversight is enforced through a written agreement between the NP and the supervising physician, which outlines the NP's scope of practice and the physician's supervisory responsibilities. Also, the supervising physician must be available for consultation, either in person or through electronic communication, at all times while the NP is providing patient care. Furthermore, California law mandates a maximum ratio of four NPs to one supervising physician.
NPs in California can prescribe medications and therapeutic agents within the confines of their scope of practice. However, this authority is restricted by the necessity for physician oversight. As such, NPs must follow a standardized protocol developed jointly by nursing, medicine, and administration within the systematized healthcare they practice. Moreover, NPs can perform various medical procedures, including skin tests, immunization procedures, and blood withdrawal from veins and arteries. However, similar to their prescriptive authority, these procedures must be performed under standardized procedures.
Nurse Practitioner (NONPF) Core Competencies
The Core Competencies outlined by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) provide a comprehensive framework for the requisite knowledge and skills necessary for NPs to deliver exceptional patient care. These competencies comprise scientific foundation, leadership, quality, practice inquiry, technology, information literacy, policy, health delivery system, ethics, and independent practice. By adhering to the competencies, NPs can ensure that they provide the highest care level to their patients. My strengths lie in the areas of scientific foundation and technology, and information literacy. My strong background in science has provided me with a solid foundation for understanding and applying the latest research and evidence-based practices in my work. My comfort with and experience in using technology, including electronic health records and other health information technology tools, has allo...