Role of the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Essay

Role of the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) - Essay Example Sherwood (1997) tells us that environments are still somewhat restricted and that practice varies from state to state which causes some difficulty in efficient use of the NP where needed. The University of Texas Health Science Center defines Advanced Practice Nursing as "as a registered professional nurse who is prepared for advanced practice by virtue of knowledge and skills obtained through a post-basic or advanced education program of study acceptable to the State Board of Nurse Examiners"(Sherwood, et. al., 1997 pg3). The FNP is qualified to be the first person seen on entry to the healthcare system. This is usually client oriented and comprehensive, allowing for a continuum of care based on the collaborative practice studied and provided by the FNP. The focus of the practice is wellness and maintenance which allows the client to see the same practitioner longer before having need to be referred out to a specialist. Alternatively, Bennett defines a FNP as a healthcare professional who works directly with families and physicians to provide the best level of care. FNP's differ from physicians in that they practice in many settings. They possess advanced Masters level nursing degrees which has provided them with special training and experience to assess, treat, counsel, and monitor patients. They perform a collaborative practice in which they work with healthcare professionals as a team. They are able to order testing, refer patients and treat non-life threatening conditions (Bennett, 2004). The Texas Board of Practice on this same thought states that the APN acts independently and/or in collaboration with other health care professionals to deliver health care services (Texas Board of Practice, Section 221). They accordingly accomplish comprehensive health assessments with the goal of managing common acute illnesses, appropriate referral, managing chronic conditions that have remained stable. In t his description there are included; Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Certified Nurse Midwives and Certified Nurse Anesthetists. The role originated in the University of Colorado in 1965. In 1974 the American Nurses Association published educational guidelines for credentialing of a NP. Since then, there have been many changes in the program and of course since there are so many types of programs available, there are concerns as to the quality and effectiveness of those programs. That curriculum includes advanced physiology, pharmacology, and clinical practice emphasizing a particular role. Texas strengthened even more of the program in the sense that they increased content for path physiology, pharmaco-therapeutics, practice roles, and preceptorship (Bennett, 2004). In most cases, registered nurses are required to obtain a Masters degree in nursing and have at least one year of RN experience before they are allowed to enter a Nurse Practitioner program, however, that is not always true. Nurse Practitioners can come from a variety of backgrounds. There are programs that admit students into graduate study without prior experience as a nurse. When that happens they must have a Baccalaureate in a field other than nursing and are required to complete an accelerated program which incorporates a Bachelors in nursing going straight into a Masters level NP program (Rich, Jorden, &