Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay

Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay

Introduction

Family Nurse Practitioners need to have specific qualifications and obtain licenses to provide practice. In order to understand what scope of practice FNPs have, paper aims to focus on the nurse practitioner who has been interviewed before. The answers to the interview questions will also be addressed in this paper.

Place of Employment and Scope of Practice

The nurse practitioner who has been interviewed works at Baptist Hospital of Miami as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FPN). This is a non-profit, faith-based hospital, one of the largest in Miami (Baptist Hospital, 2018). The patient volume is large: the hospital handles more than 100,000 patients per year (Jorge, 2016). FNPs serves children, adults, and older adults alike, and can diagnose conditions, prescribe treatment for various types of patients who do not require complex interventions (such as surgeries), and can manage chronic illnesses. The qualifications needed for the position include certification as either general or specialized practitioners from a program recognized in Florida. Stefanie, the interviewed nurse, has a certificate from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, which is recognized in Florida and by the Baptist Hospital of Miami. An ARNP License is also required by the facility.Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay

The job description of a family nurse practitioner is the following: they provide services to families throughout their lifespan, provide care to people of various ages and ethnic backgrounds, from children to older adults, and can also serve underserved populations (“Family nurse practitioner”, n.d.). FPNs are responsible for diagnosing conditions, assigning treatment and preparing treatment plans, providing primary health care, prescribing medications, ordering and using lab tests in accordance with patient’s diagnosis or condition, and making referrals if necessary (“Family nurse practitioner”, n.d.). The scope of practice of nurse practitioners in the state is the following: nurse practitioners can manage specific medical problems, order physical or occupational therapy, initiate or change therapies that target certain acute illnesses if these are not complicated, monitor patients with stable chronic diseases, and identify behavioral problems and suggest suitable therapies (Lockwood, 2017). The NPA of the state also allows providing care to friends or family without any compensation, assisting individuals during an emergency, and “practicing nursing for up to 60 days if currently licensed in another state or territory while completing applications and licensure and up to 120 days if relocating because of a military-connected spouse’s official military orders” (Lockwood, 2017, p. 14). The following acts are considered violations: sexual misconduct, health care fraud, unlicensed practice, theft, robbery, indecent exposure, assault, abuse, exploitation, misleading or deceptive advertising, inaccurate reporting, unauthorized possessions of controlled substances, and inability to meet minimal standards of care (Lockwood, 2017).Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay

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Interview Questions

Stefanie pointed out that during education, pathophysiology and pharmacology were the most difficult areas for her to study, although it was both interesting and challenging. She believes that her role is very responsible, as nursing means not simply treating patients but also supporting healthy nurse-patient relationships. Stefanie agreed that her skills helped her save a person’s life, and not only once. She provided urgent care to victims of a robbery at a store and was able to stop arterial bleeding that could eventually lead to a fatal outcome. Another example was when she recognized the signs of a heart attack in her friend and dialed emergency services.Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay

Qualities essential for FPN are the ability to think critically, find the right approach to patients, compassion, understanding, and leadership skills. According to Stefanie, combining personal and professional life is not easy because nursing requires a person to invest their time and energy that are also needed for one’s family. She had to stay after work and work on weekends sometimes, although not often (2-3 times per month). According to her, the most memorable event in her life was when one of her younger patients who was referred to an oncologist visited her three years later to thank her for quality care and share that he had a remission.Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay

To educate patients, Stefanie usually uses videos and audios (podcasts or short stories) for patient education. Children are more interested in examining models of human organs and bodies, and such models work well with adult patients too. Stefanie claims that she likes her job, and she would probably become a physician just because they have a wider scope of practice. In her opinion, her job is rewarding, although sometimes extremely challenging or even exhausting. The majority of patients, however, appreciate her input and involvement and are grateful for her work. Her recommendations were as follows: students should be ready for stressful but interesting work, develop leadership and critical skills, and understand the importance and the need for lifelong learning.Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay

References

Baptist Hospital. (2018). Baptist health South Florida. Web.

Family nurse practitioner. (n.d.). Web.

Jorge, J. (2016). Baptist Hospital of Miami research paper. Web.

Lockwood, W. (2017). Florida’s laws and rules for nursing. Web. Family Nurse Practitioner’s Scope of Practice Essay