American Association for Colleges of Nursing
Future Scope, Role and Professional Obligations of Advanced Practice Nurses
Part 1. A discussion of the scope of your future role as an advanced registered nurse, including any regulatory, certification, or accreditation agencies that define that scope.
I have an interest in hospice nursing care, particularly leadership and management roles as a nurse executive. Towards this end, I am in the process of completing a Master’s in Nursing (MSN) program that would allow me to quality as an advanced registered nurse (ARN) and take on leadership and management roles in the health care environment. The MSN program allows me to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies in leadership, communication, relationship-building, professionalism and administration. In addition, the MSN program allows me to improve my knowledge of health care with a focus on helping the organization to implement its goals and values while consistently delivering high quality services. Besides that, the role would require the nurse executive to be involved in shaping policies to deliver the best services while empowering stakeholders who include nurses and patients (DeNisco & Barker, 2013). In addition, the nurse executive would take on the responsibility of developing professional procedures in management to include the creation and management of budgets, patient care procedures, delivery of continuing education, and the design and management of patient care. Additionally, a nurse executive takes on the role of a human resource manager by determining staffing needs in terms of composition and talent. Also, a nurse executive develops patient management procedures that address the existing bottlenecks while upholding professional and ethical principles. It is evident that the roles of a nurse executive are centered around facilitating the organization to smoothly function while balancing the interests of all stakeholders (DeNisco & Barker, 2016).American Association for Colleges of Nursing
There are two main factors that determine the scope of practice of a nurse executive. The first factor is the professional and education qualifications. Each organization and jurisdiction presents its own list of qualifications that must be met before licensure and certification to practice as a nurse executive. Although the qualifications differ between different jurisdictions, an MSN level of education is a common requirement. Another common qualification is a current active license to practice as a nurse, alongside the relevant credentials for ARN practice. The second factor is the work responsibilities and settings. Like any other profession, nurse executives would be expected to complete set responsibilities in defined circumstances. However, there are variations in the responsibilities between organizations and facilities. Besides that, nurse executives can work in different settings even when providing hospice care, such as activing in an active on consultative role (Whiteman, Dittman & McNulty, 2017).
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Before being allowed to practice as a nurse executive, there is a requirement for a Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC) that is issued by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The certification involves taking and passing an examination on nurse executive roles, responsibilities and competencies. The examination presents a valid and reliable assessment of entry level knowledge and skills. Individuals who pass the examination are awarded NE-BC credentials that remain valid for five years. In addition to the certification, nurse executives must hold a current active nurse practice license before being allowed to practice (American Nurses Association, 2020a).
Besides the NE-BC, nurse executives can obtain the more advanced Nurse Executive Advanced Certification (NEA-BC). Similar to the NE-BC, the NEA-BC is issued by the ANCC. However, the accreditation for the certification is offered by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). The NEA-BC is issued after taking and passing a competency-based examination that covers the entry level knowledge and skills for functioning in system-wide and organization-wide settings. Nurse executives with NE-BC certification can only work with a single group of nurses and non-nurse personnel and operations, while nurse executives with NEA-BC certification are can work with multiple groups of nurses and non-nurse personnel and operations (American Nurses Association, 2020b).American Association for Colleges of Nursing
Part 2. A discussion of three professional nursing organizations that you think are most influential in advancing the scope and influence of advanced nursing. Of these organizations, evaluate the one that you would most like to join. How do its goals and mission fit in with your worldview and philosophy of care? How might membership in this organization improve your practice?
Three professional nursing organizations have been identified as being most influential in advancing the scope and influence of advanced nursing. The National League of Nursing (NLN) has been identified as the first organization since it is focused on advancing the excellence of the nursing profession. It does this by presenting its members with opportunities for professional development to include testing services and research grants (National League of Nursing, 2020). The American Association for Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has been identified as the second organization since it focused on promoting nursing practice and research to include the establishment and implementation of quality standards, and public health care improvements (American Association for Colleges of Nursing, 2020). The Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) is the third organization since it acts as an advocate for ARN by strengthening their professional roles. Also, the organization promotes the academic progression of nurses, facilitates unity of associate profession, offers opportunities for networking, and disseminates information (Organization for Associate Degree Nursing, 2020).
Between the three organizations that been discussed, the NLN is the most influential organization. It was founded in 1893 has the mission of promoting professional nursing excellence through building a diverse and strong nurse workforce that has the capacity to advance the health agenda at all levels. Unlike the other two organizations (AACN and OADN) that only draw membership from within the USA, the NLN draws membership from inside and outside the USA thus presenting a diverse membership that can be leveraged. Members in the NLN include nurses, medical organizations, and individuals and organization who have affiliations with nursing. Membership in the organization offers access to public policy initiatives, testing and assessment, development programs, networking opportunities, and research grants. The organization seeks to remain relevant in the nursing profession by delivering expanded, enhanced and improved services even as it champions efforts to improve the professional capabilities of nurses (National League of Nursing, 2020).
The goals and mission of the NLN fit with my worldview and philosophy. As a member of the NLN, I expect to be presented with opportunities for improving my professional capabilities. In addition, the membership offers access to the large numbers of nurses from inside and outside the USA who make up the roster of members in the organization. Besides that, I would have the opportunity for engaging in forums that leverage education, discussion and research activities for improving professional practice. Additionally, the organization offers access to evidence that supports evidence-based practice and improves awareness of nursing advances.American Association for Colleges of Nursing
Section 3. A discussion of a controversial or evolving issue that is most likely to affect your scope of practice or role in the next few years. How do you think this issue could influence the profession and other stakeholders, and why does it matters to the advanced registered nurse?
An evolving issue that is most likely to affect the scope of practice and role of nurse executives in the next few years is advances in telecommunication technologies and the concepts of telehealth and telemedicine. The need for these communication advances has become more apparent in the face of Covid-19 epidemic, especially with regards to the need for social distancing and lockdowns. These technologies can be leveraged to allow for remote management and provision of nursing care services so that a nurse executive does not have to be in the workplace to complete the work tasks. This would allow nurse executives to work from home and even tackle emergencies when away from the workplace. While these technologies present opportunities for changing the workplace environment in a positive way, they also present some concerns. The primary concerns are how to ensure information security and meet confidentiality requirements, particularly in the face of legislation targeting the use of these technologies in the health care environment. Telecommunication technologies have an influence on the nurse executive profession by requiring new competencies. Operating the technologies requires unique technical skills that can only be acquired through training and practice. This implies that nurse executives must undergo training before using these technologies, and this is likely to be reflected in their certification and licensure requirements (Wager, Lee & Glaser, 2017).
References
American Association for Colleges of Nursing (2020). About AACN. https://www.aacnnursing.org/About-AACN
American Nurses Association (2020a). Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC). https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/nurse-executive/
American Nurses Association (2020b). Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC). https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/nurse-executive-advanced/
DeNisco, S., & Barker, A. (Eds.) (2013). Advanced Practice Nursing: Evolving Roles for the Transformation of the Profession (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
DeNisco, S., & Barker, A. (Eds.) (2016). Advanced Practice Nursing: Essential Knowledge for the Profession (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
National League of Nursing (2020). About. http://www.nln.org/about
Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (2020). About OADN. https://www.oadn.org/about-us/about-oadn
Wager, K., Lee, F., & Glaser, J. (2017). Health Care Information Systems: A Practical Approach for Health Care Management (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Whitehead, D., Dittman, P., & McNulty, D. (2017). Leadership and the Advanced Practice Nurse: The Future of a Changing Health-Care Environment. F. A. Davis Company. American Association for Colleges of Nursing