NURS 6050: Week 2 Discussion Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

Nursing leadership is a vast specialty, ranging from undergraduate to graduate school; it differs significantly from a nurse who wants to excel in a healthcare institution, to someone who wanted to specialize in a certain field, or to another individual who wants to work “side by side” with the doctors. According to American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2012), The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is a leader in healthcare delivery across all settings, not just in acute care. Implementation of this role will vary across settings. It all comes down to one thing. Further education and training are needed to advance and prepare these nurses in delivering quality health care across the spectrum.NURS 6050: Week 2 Discussion Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

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One research priority that the IOM noted that particularly applies to me is the Identification of the influence of nursing on important health care decisions at all levels. I would want to be more specific as for the roles of APRN in the hospital setting. My main reason for continuing education towards attaining my Masters in Nursing specializing in Family Nurse Practitioner is the drive to do more for the patients. I have found out that I really wanted to pursue this career when I started working in the Emergency Room and discovered how much more independent I become in using my critical thinking, even though there’s a doctor’s availability 24/7, the setting in ER makes you think three steps ahead, fast paced, with sets of protocols to follow but also very instinctive in nature. Being a competent nurse, most of the time you expect what the doctors are going to order or what treatments will best benefit the patient. I learned to stand up for myself and my judgment and to question the providers if I think that the orders are doubtful. Then I found myself wanting to do more, especially being around the mid-level practitioners as we call it, our Nurse Practitioners cut ER wait times and speed up the process of ER visits for patients; I know what I wanted to do next, to go back to school and further my education. NURS 6050 Essay Assignments

Along with the autonomy and authority comes with the challenges of becoming a nurse practitioner, one of which is APRN’s are not as appreciated in the field. I still see physicians that talk down to NP’s or physician specialists that would come to ER, who would not even want to acknowledge their assessment of the patient and would only take it from another fellow physician even though the NP’s are the ones that saw the patient and treated their condition. As per  Schadewaldt, Mcinnes, Hiller and Gardner (2014), “Recent definitions of collaboration in the literature describe it as being based on communication, shared decision-making and the respect and equality of team members. However, research demonstrates a tension between this theoretical ideal and how collaboration between nurse practitioners and medical practitioners occurs in practice. Different socialization processes of the two professions and legislative requirements influence collaborative practice. The way these two professions overcome traditional boundaries and realize collaborative practice in the primary healthcare setting needs to be examined”. Currently, there are not many types of research available regarding this topic that would discuss personal experiences and observation relating to the collaboration of medical practitioners and nurse practitioners.NURS 6050: Week 2 Discussion Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

Also, there are patients would request to “see the doctor” and some that does not give the NP’s much credit because they are “not doctors”. If only the public will be educated by what nurse practitioners do and if only they would notice that most of the NP’s listen and spends more time with them as much as physicians do. According to Sherman and Pross (2010), The establishment of a healthy work environment requires strong nursing leadership at all levels of the organization, but especially at the point of care or unit level where most front line staff work and where patient care is delivered.

Traditionally, nurses have been viewed by the general public as doctor’s assistants that “carry out doctor’s orders” and not as professionals who have independent practice with increased autonomy. To meet the challenges of health care demands and the shortage of experienced nurse leaders, we must “assume primary responsibility for personal and professional growth through efforts that continue individual education and opportunities that develop and advance the exercise of leadership skills” (Porter-O’Grady, 2011).NURS 6050: Week 2 Discussion Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

Reference

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2012, May 29). Clinical Nurse Leader (pdf file). Retrieved from aacn.nche.edu

 Sherman, R., & Pross, E. (2010, January 31). Growing Future Nurse Leaders to Build and Sustain Healthy Work Environments at the Unit Level. Retrieved from nursingworld.org: http://nursingworld.org/RSS/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol152010/No1Jan2010/Growing-Nurse-Leaders.html

Schadewaldt V., Mcinnes E., Hiller J.E. & Gardner A. (2014, May). Investigating Characteristics of Collaboration between Nurse Practitioners and Medical Practitioners in Primary Health Care: A Mixed Methods Multiple Case Study Protocol. Journal of Advanced Nursing 70(5), 1184–1193.

Porter-O’Grady, T. (2011, May). Future of Nursing Special: Leadership at all Levels. Nursing Management, 42(5), pp. 32-37

NURS 6050: Week 2 Discussion Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health