NUR 512 Module 3 Assignment Role of a Nurse Practitioner Selecting and Describing an Advanced Nurse Practitioner Role

Patients look forward to comprehensive healthcare services in a friendly, respectful, and safe clinical environment. This underlines the need for adequately skilled nursing professionals, such as advanced practice nurses, to ensure timely and holistic care. In agreement with Bal. (2022), advanced practice nurses are a huge asset to the healthcare system, playing a valuable role in reducing wait times for appointments and offering provider options to patients. Their knowledge, clinical expertise, and perspectives allow them to understand health problems and support individuals and groups on their health journey.

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are among the advanced care providers essential in the evolving healthcare system. Becoming an advanced practice registered nurse implies a higher position and improved capacity to provide much of the same patient care as a physician (Htay & Whitehead, 2021). In this case, the advanced nurse practitioner can diagnose patients, formulate treatment plans, educate, and research. Other responsibilities dominating this specialty include prescribing medications and follow-up visits. Given this, the nurse practitioner’s everyday responsibilities revolve around interacting with patients, assessing their conditions, and ensuring they get the best treatment (Barnett et al., 2022). For instance, family nurse practitioners (FNPs) treat patients of all ages, with much of their roles resembling those of a physician.

Choosing to Become a Nurse Practitioner

Nurses choose different specializations depending on many factors, including passion, a rewarding occupation, and the motivation to make a positive difference in society. One of the many reasons behind becoming a nurse practitioner is career satisfaction. For a long time, in healthcare facilities, families, and communities, I have interacted with individuals with many health problems. Irrespective of their backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and age, these individuals look forward to care providers who understand their issues and can provide effective treatment. As a result, becoming a nurse practitioner gives me the perfect opportunity to meet such individuals regularly, assess their needs, and treat them holistically. As Jean (2023) mentioned, meeting diverse people regularly and hearing their health experiences enables nurses to understand and appreciate other cultures, identities, and nationalities. Therefore, it is a foundation for improved patient care as I interact and learn from patients from diverse locations, races, and religions.

Practice autonomy and more ability to influence nursing also motivate me to become a nurse practitioner. According to Bal (2022), advanced education and training give NPs more autonomy in clinical practice. Although some states still require NPs to work under physician supervision, the opportunity to practice independently is among my primary motivations to advance skills and knowledge to become an NP. Nurses influence the practice in many ways. Besides regular patient care, they evaluate issues hampering health outcomes and implement evidence-based interventions (Clarke et al., 2021). NPs further influence nursing by providing more cost-effective services, helping to decrease healthcare costs. Similarly, I look forward to influencing nursing positively as an advanced nurse practitioner, change agent, and policymaker. Excellence in these roles necessitates advanced nursing skills acquired through the training and education of an NP.

The Nurse Practitioner Role and Article Summary

Nursing research explores many issues from multiple perspectives. Their in-depth study helps to improve nurses’ knowledge while providing a solid foundation for evidence-based practice. Wheeler et al. (2022) provided detailed research on the role of advanced practice nurses, which outlines what NPs do in regular practice. Exploring this article helps readers to understand this critical role and the need for advanced skills. According to Wheeler et al. (2022), NPs’ broader roles include assessing, diagnosing, ordering tests, and prescribing medications for patients. To excel in their role, NPs usually collaborate with other medical providers and systems. Collaboration enables them to provide team-based, patient-centered care, which addresses patients’ multidimensional needs.

Generally, the article is a comprehensive analysis of what qualifies nurses as advanced practitioners, roles, and regulations. Wheeler et al. (2022) demonstrated advanced practice nurses as specialty or generalist nurses with additional graduate education, expert knowledge, and clinical competencies for advanced practice. The authors further outline the practice role of APNs as selected respondents provide. Other components include education, regulation, credentialing, and practice climate pertaining