Nursing is a profession based on both theory and evidence. Most scholars interpret nursing as direct patient care (Gillespie, 2020). As the career progresses, it incorporates several roles, including; educating practitioners, informaticists, and nurse administrators. A nurse educator and practitioner must process a nursing master’s degree. A nurse educator must have a doctorate. Most nurses, however, can practice physiology, pharmacology, and anatomy. A nurse has different roles depending on their category and posts (Gillespie, 2020). This paper describes the role of the advanced practice nurse, the reason for pursuing a master’s in nursing, and the difference this makes in patient care and decision making.
Roles of the Advanced Practice Nurse
Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are those with higher certification and training in the field of nursing. The certification encompasses a master’s degree and doctorate (Bryant-Lukosius et al., 2017). APNs are among the category of healthcare professionals who are described as physician extenders. They can work with clinical patients with a greater extent of independence and responsibility. According to the World Health Organization, the most common types of roles of APN are; Nurse practitioner (NP) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) (Bryant-Lukosius et al., 2017). These two enact their positions based on practice setting needs and in response to the health of the general population. CNS is responsible for non-clinical practices, including quality enhancement and education. NPs involve themselves in clinical care and have the authority to make diagnoses, order diagnostic tests, and prescribe medications and treatments. CNs have other essential roles in regulation, legislation, and education on the roles of a registered nurse.
Reason for Pursuing an Advanced Nursing Degree
It is essential to pursue a master’s in nursing since additional expertise means serving patients better. With more substantial knowledge, a nurse becomes a better leader and guide to fellow nurses (McCaffrey & Reinoso, 2017). A master’s degree identifies a nurse as a more qualified candidate for better positions in the field, including; nurse administrator and Chief Nursing Officer. One of the most exciting things about higher education is a pay increase. It boosts earning power through better job positions.
Masters Level Nursing Education Makes A Difference In Patient-Centred Care And Decision Making
Patient-Centred Care
Various factors such as the aging population increased complex healthcare delivery techniques, and advanced medical technology require enhanced healthcare services. These challenges can only be overcome if a nurse has more than primary nursing education. Various areas require a higher quality and efficiency in healthcare delivery (Goswami et al., 2020). These areas include; intensive care, operative nursing and cancer care, and organ transplant. Nurses with specializing and advanced expertise can quickly meet these modern healthcare demands. Nurses with more education can offer enhanced communication abilities and more vital critical thinking skills that influence the patient outcome positively. They can easily coordinate appointments and assit a patient find ways to get better and become more independent. The presence of a master’s degree lowers hospitalizations and medical costs. Regarding women’s reproductive health, nurses with higher education offer lower newborn mortality, reduced utilization of regional analgesia, the enhanced likelihood of breastfeeding, and reduced risks of instrumental birth.
Decision Making
With a master’s degree, a nurse obtains more knowledge and expertise. In acute nursing, there is the requirement of evaluation of many complex aspects. A less qualified nurse is likely to make many errors that result in poor patient results (Goswami et al., 2020). While most nurses are taught a systematic approach to decision making, advanced nurses tend to be experienced decision-makers who can make a decision fast without following a formal decision-making procedure. They can rely on intuition, which involves the effective prediction of circumstances. The combination of analytical approaches and intuition allows APNs to make decisions in complex settings and varied situations, with distinct contextual features, with minimal or no errors.
Conclusion
Aside from earning more salary and getting recognized by others as learned, having a master’s degree places a person as a more qualified candidate in many selection processes. A nurse with advanced practice can become a Chief Nursing Officer, educator, or Nurse Administrators and make enhanced decisions without necessarily following a formal procedure. When it comes to patient care, APNs coordinate and communicate with critically ill patients in a way that boosts their independence and recovery process. It is advisable and essential for nurses to have a higher education.
References
Bryant-Lukosius, D., Valaitis, R., Martin-Misener, R., Donald, F., Peña, L. M., & Brousseau, L. (2017). Advanced practice nursing: a strategy for achieving universal health coverage and universal access to health. Revista latino-americana de enfermagem, 25. https://www.scielo.br/j/rlae/a/LsdQZykj93tLMgJWnSZ9fRr/?lang=en
Gillespie, D. (Ed.). (2020). The Many Roles of the Registered Nurse. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HTcTEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=nursing+profession+roles&ots=IY4GnXDO3k&sig=RhzzAGaX5Dnaex17Z8pu9WoDnuc&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=nursing%20profession%20roles&f=false
Goswami, P., Mistric, M., & Barber, F. D. (2020). Advance Care Planning: Advanced practice provider-initiated discussions and their effects on patient-centered end-of-life care. Clinical journal of oncology nursing, 24(1). https://web.a.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=10921095&AN=141312900&h=jltO1Y82cnuck%2bHPzRzSW4N%2bSf3XjiHpmQmDb3oH%2fWapB1uIXCQwpBK%2f1PiER5jg8e4QG%2bKaHMM3sXAVbmheZg%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d10921095%26AN%3d141312900
McCaffrey, R., & Reinoso, H. (2017). Transformational leadership: A model for advanced practice holistic nurses. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 35(4), 397-404. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0898010116685242
