Advanced practice nursing as defined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the practice of integrating and applying different theoretical and evidence-based knowledge as a part of graduate nursing. Therefore, this means that there are specific roles that define the nurse in this scope, and they are the nurse practitioner (NP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and certified nurse-midwife (CNM) (Dunphy, et al., 2015). Advance practice nursing encompasses the activities that involve direct patient care and expanded clinical skills and capabilities that require different regulations from other nursing practices.
Advanced practice nursing as defined by the APRN consensus model refers to the specific characteristics of the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with regard to their role. An advanced practice registered nurse is one whose practices build on the competence of the Registered Nurse, capable of providing direct patient care and completed an accredited graduate-level education program preparing them for one of the four recognized APRN roles. The nurse must have sufficient breadth and skills in their specialization to warrant licensure, and educationally prepared to assume responsibility and accountability for health promotion and/or maintenance (DeNisco & Barker, 2016).
The two factors that are most important in the textbook’s definition of advanced practice nursing is the education and skill capability, as well as aligning with one of the four specific APN roles. The textbook emphasizes on the importance of the education and skill level of the nurse as being capable to directly deal with the patients. It is important for the nurse to have the required skill to warrant their license in the specific role that they will play as an advanced practice nurse. Similarly, the textbook provides emphasis on the four specific nursing roles, identifying that an advanced practice nurse must be capable of performing at least one of the four defined APN roles.
References
DeNisco, S. M. & Barker, A. M. (2016). Advanced Practice Nursing. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Dunphy, L. M., et al. (2015). Primary Care: Art and Science of Advanced Practice Nursing. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company.
