APRN History, Role and Credibility Assignment

Answer

APRN History, Role and Credibility Assignment

The Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) has extended the role of patient care to include clinical nurse specialists, anaesthetic nurses, nursing practitioners, and nursing midwives through the creation of RNP, CNM, CRNA, and CNS roles. While looking into the general role of the APRN, it is important to understand the history of RNP, CNM, CRNA, and CNS while describing the roles and responsibilities in today's healthcare system, and eventually compare the credibility of APRN's early role to the modern-day role.

History

The Certified Registered Nurse Anaesthetics (CRNA) began its role between 1861 and 1865 during the American Civil War when Catholic sisters acted as nurses. Although starting back in the Civil war era, the credentials of the CRNA were established in 1956 (American Nurse Today, 2017). Kentucky’s Frontier Nursing Service in 1925 was the first nursing midwifery program, establishing the Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) role. Having understood the importance of nursing midwives in family health, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) was founded in 1955, paving the way for the nationwide nursing midwives' certification in 1970 (American Nurse Today, 2017). The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) was set up in 1954 through a psychiatric program at Rutger's University in New Jersey. Lastly, the Registered Nurses Practitioner (RNP) was established in 1965 as a nursing program in Leslie County, Kentucky.

Roles and Responsibilities

The establishment of each of the four APRN roles came out of necessity and needed in the healthcare community. The CRNA was established to help medical doctors, especially surgeons, to administer anaesthesia to patients undergoing surgery (American Nurse Today, 2017). CNM assist in delivery care and family health services for new mothers while advising women on care procedures before, during, and after pregnancy. CNS nurses recognize breaches in healthcare systems and provide diagnostic techniques and provide plans targeted at managing complex patients after recognizing (American Nurse Today, 2017). Lastly, RNPs provide primary healthcare to patients by diagnosing ailments, treating and prescribing medicine.

Credibility Comparison

Compared to each of the APRN roles to present-day roles, the credibility was lower in earlier days. The evolution of education has prompted educative programs in universities that have broadened to post-graduate levels where APRN roles are taught. Therefore, APRNs are trusted more because of the knowledge acquired through extensive reading.

Limitations of Nursing Role

First, nurses face the challenge of being undervalued (AMN Healthcare, 2018). Although nurses go through tumultuous training and education programs, patients and other medical personnel assume that nurses, for example, anaesthetic nurses, cannot do anything without a physician's approval. Secondly, nurses have the issue of dealing with difficult patients. Some patients will refuse patient care to remain stubborn, leaving nurses with a difficult time while administering care (AMN Healthcare, 2018). Lastly, nursing can be an overwhelming profession leaving nurses fatigued, emotionally and physically drained because of the different ailments patients come into hospitals with.

Competencies of Nurses

Fukada (2018) states that for nurses to administer patient care effectively, they need to be collaborative, good communicators, have problem-solving skills, and empathetic. Empathy is a quality needed by nurses to help understand a patient's ailment and effectively provide care to the best of their capability. Nurses who possess good communication skills can apply problem-solving skills when communicating with patients over treatment and acre regiments while administering care (Fukada, 2018). Lastly, nurses should be team players who accept help from other medical professionals while also giving their feedback and opinions on areas that they are needed in. All these professional competencies help nurses effectively work towards optimal patient-centred care.

Conclusion

Understanding the history of APRN roles helps understand the roles of each category. Ultimately, understanding these roles helps a patient have faith in the extensive knowledge nurses learn and apply while effectively administering care in their roles without being difficult to let better the nurses practice their professional competencies. Eventually, acknowledging that nurses will help in ensuring better patient care is administered.