Navigating Credentialing and Licensure Challenges for APRNs- Trends Barriers and Legislative Influences

From the perspective of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) perspective, credentialing is defined as the process of validating training, qualifications, licensure, clinical experience, and the ability for speciality practice (McMullen & Howie, 2020). Several issues influence the credentialing and licensure of APRNs. One such issue is that each state in the United States has different regulations governing nursing practice. Each state has its practice standards to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare services. All APRNs must be licensed in their states of practice and practice within the scope defined in the different Nurse Practice Acts (Huynh & Haddad, 2020). All APRNs should be allowed to practice independently, but this is however not the case. Not all states in America have allowed nurses to practice independently. In some states, APRNs still practice under direct physician supervision.

Several barriers and challenges have impeded the growth of APRNs. The American Medical Association is one such barrier and has slowed the progression of APRNs. Doctors in these professional organizations believe that doctors are more qualified than nurses due to their longer and more rigorous training compared to APRNs (Sofer, 2018). They believe that nurses cannot offer quality care at the same level that doctors offer care. Despite these reservations, some doctors in the United States still value the role of APRNs in the American healthcare delivery industry. Another challenge facing APRN practice is federal policies. The Primary Care Health Practitioner Incentive Act allows APRNs to bill for their services. However, nurses can receive 100% reimbursement for incidents to services, but not independently, negatively affecting independent practice (Peterson, 2017).

APRN practice is greatly influenced by legislation at both the state and federal levels. One federal policy affecting APRN practice is the Federal Trade Commission. This Commission promotes healthy competition in the American healthcare system (Federal Trade Commission, 2020). Competition is important in the industry since it allows patients to get quality healthcare services at affordable prices. However, in some states, APRNs must practice under the direct supervision of physicians. This may lead to unfair competition between APRNs and physicians since physicians may restrict some services offered by APRNs.

References

Federal Trade Commission. (2020, January 13). FTC comments to state legislatures in Kansas and Ohio encourage granting advanced practice registered nurses full practice authority. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/01/ftc-comments-state-legislatures-kansas-ohio-encourage-granting