Family Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners have been working in primary care delivering care to patients in multiple settings due to a significant reduction of physicians and increased number of people with complicated health conditions (Ramira, Peraza-Smith, McLeod, & Clarke, 2018). In order to be considered a nurse Practitioner, a nurse must complete a Masters in Nursing with a specialty in nurse practitioner, pass a licensing examination, and become registered. Nurse practitioners treat patients from a holistic nursing perspective and have the autonomy to diagnose and treat acute and chronic health conditions (Sangster-Gormley, Griffith, Schreiber, Borycki, Feddema, & Thompson, 2015).

With this shortage of physicians, more nurse practitioners are needed to practice in primary health settings. Traditionally, nurse practitioners have been advocates of preventative and primary healthcare. As the demand for patient care continues to grow, it is expected to become greater than the supply (Ramira et al., 2018). Through inter-professional collaboration nurse practitioners work with healthcare teams increasing patient access to safe, proficient care and filling the gaps in the healthcare system (Sangster-Gormley et al.

, 2015). Family nurse practitioners working as primary care providers benefit the healthcare community by not only solving the primary care physician shortage but also by improving the quality of care a patient receives (Ramira et al., 2018).

Clinical or Non-Clinical

A family nurse practitioner works in a clinical role. Nurse practitioners see patients in multiple settings including urgent care centers, hospitals, physician’s offices, and emergency rooms. Patients have reported greater clinical respect for nurses who have advanced their roles compared to other healthcare professionals.

Students who finish school and work as family nurse practitioners report more autonomy in practicing patient care, greater knowledge of clinical skills, greater confidence in clinical practice, and more opportunities for professional growth (Ramira et al., 2018).

Advanced Nursing Practice Concept

The seven core competencies of advanced practice nursing include: direct clinical practice, guidance and coaching, consultation, evidence-based practice, leadership, collaboration, and ethical decision making (Hamric, 2014). As a recent graduate as a nurse practitioner, the first year post graduation is a time of transition. The nurse practitioner will need mentoring and support. Some physicians expect nurse practitioners to assume responsibility and manage their own practice independently. This prospect could be practical if the nurse practitioner has clinical experience; however, if it is a newly graduated nurse practitioner, this expectation could be problematic. Nurse practitioners are hired into a position as a team member. The physician on that team should understand prior to hiring the newly graduated nurse practitioner that he or she will be acting as a mentor and providing support. The structure of the physician-nurse practitioner relationship influences how a nurse practitioner adapts to the new role, so before hiring a newly graduated nurse practitioner, a physician should accept the role of mentor (Sangster-Gormley et al., 2015). Nurse practitioners will then be able to provide expert guidance and coaching for patients and family transitioning through health and illnesses because of their direct practice guidance and understanding (Hamric, 2014).

Interview Questions

I chose to interview Dawn Coffee, FNP-C. She works at Vista Park Health and Rehabilitation as a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner through the company Georgia Med Group. I plan on interviewing Mrs. Coffee on March 8, 2019. I chose to interview Mrs. Coffee due to her experience in the nursing profession. The questions I have chosen to ask her include:

1. Why did you decide to further your education and become a nurse practitioner?
2. What was the most difficult part for you in your masters program?
3. How did you prepare to take the FNP certification exam?
4. How many years have you been a nurse practitioner?
5. What is the most difficult part of being a nurse practitioner?
6. What do you feel is your most important duty as a nurse practitioner?
7. Have you ever disagreed with a physician over a treatment method or diagnosis? If so how did you handle it?
8.  What are the pros of being a nurse practitioner?
9. What are the cons of being a nurse practitioner?
10.  What advice do you have for someone pursing the same career path?

Research Article Summaries

The aim of the first study was to describe the impact of including nurse practitioners in primary healthcare teams and to express how colleges perceive collaborating with nurse practitioners. The study included a mixed methods design. Nurse practitioners were surveyed about their practice patterns, and professionals who worked alongside nurse practitioners were interviewed. The sample included 68 anonymous co-workers, who either participated in the survey or through interviews. The interviews lasted between 30 to 60 minutes and incorporated questions related to the interviewee’s working association with the nurse practitioner. The results of this study showed that most participants anticipated nurse practitioners to be team members, colleagues recognized the collaboration and teamwork with nurse practitioners to be extremely beneficial, and that participants considered nurse practitioners as meeting expectations of the interdisciplinary team and functioning as expected. In conclusion, both nurse practitioners and professional colleagues were satisfied with the relationships and collaboration established between one another, and the addition of nurse practitioners to healthcare teams was recognized as valuable (Sangster-Gormley et al., 2015). The second study aimed to explore primary care nurse practitioner practices to understand the scope at which they will promote effective interprofessional teamwork. This study used a mixed methods design. Nurse practitioners were surveyed on comparable practice characteristics, and team members were interviewed about nurse practitioners practices, work situations, and relationships. The sample included female nurse practitioners with a master’s degree. The results of the study displayed advantageous relationships between physicians, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals. The results describe these interprofessional teams as favorable due to the team members continuing communication, trust, respect, and appreciation for collaborative practice (Poghosyan, Norful, & Martsolf, 2017).

Conclusion

The aging population and high prevalence of chronic illnesses have increased the demand for primary care. Without the teamwork and collaboration from nurse practitioners, the demand for primary care providers would be greater than the supply (Poghosyan et al., 2017). The collaboration of nurse practitioners into interdisciplinary healthcare teams is beneficial to patients causing safer patient care and more efficient professional practice (Sangster-Gormley et al., 2015). By hiring nurse practitioners in primary care positions, the shortage of primary care providers is resolved, and the healthcare community is greatly benefited (Ramira et al., 2018).

References

1. Hamric, A. (2014). A Definition of Advanced Practice Nursing. In C. M. Hanson, M. F. Tracy, & E. T. O’Grady (Eds.), Advanced practice nursing (5th ed., pp. 67-85). Retrieved from https://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9781455739806/cfi/6/12!/4/2@0:0
2. Poghosyan, L., Norful, A., & Martsolf, G. (2017). Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Practice Characteristics: Barriers and Opportunities for Interprofessional Teamwork. The Journal of Ambulatory Care Management, 40(1), 77-86. doi:10.1097/JAC.0000000000000156
3. Ramira, M. L., Peraza-Smith, G. B., McLeod, R., & Clark, M. J. (2018). Challenges, Barriers, and Satisfiers of Foreign Educated Physicians with the Family Nurse Practitioner Role in the United States. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 25(1), 12–22. Retrieved from https://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=https://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=129125509&site=eds-live
4. Sangster-Gormley, E., Griffith, J., Schreiber, R., Borycki, E., Feddema, A., & Thompson, J. (2015). Interprofessional Collaboration: Co-workers’ Perceptions of Adding Nurse Practitioners to Primary Care Teams. Quality in Primary Care,23(3), 122-126. Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ab0d/44b1b45b607784c12f027d6d6724a7386ed7.pdf.