The US healthcare industry is facing a human resource crisis. While the number of people seeking medical attention continues to rise, the ratio of physicians within the population continues to drop (Goodfellow et al., 2016). A growing population and the ability to live longer while facing chronic conditions are among the reasons for the heightened need for clinical care. Contemporaneously, healthcare costs continue to rise, creating a massive burned for patients, more so those in need of acute care, as it necessitates both a physician and a nursing officer. The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) is a senior and highly trained nursing officer who is capable, qualified, licensed, and certified to play the combined roles carried out by a physician and a registered nurse in caring for patients with acute conditions (Haut & Madden, 2015). Conversely, an acute patient can be defined as a patient who is in need of active but short-term attention such as a patient who has survived an accident or a patient who has just come from surgery. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate and place and viability of the ACNP is a solution to the crisis relating to the need for better and cost-effective care for the acute patients.
Reasons for Pursuing the APN Role
The role of the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) generally and more specifically the ACPN has increased in necessity and importance in the modern healthcare dispensation . There is an increasing number of patients who are in need of acute care for three reasons. The first is the increase in population due to low mortality rates, the second is an increase in knowledge about health care issues, and lastly the advancement in technology which as exponentially increased the rates of surgery (Goodfellow et al., 2016). The increase in acute care patients comes at a time when there is a relative decrease in the availability of physicians, making for another reason why being an ACPN in this dispensation is important. The decrease in numbers of physicians can be associated with the high cost of the relevant education and difficulty in certification, alongside the rise in other competitive careers such as business and technology. The most important reason for pursuing ACPN is that it brings together the positive prerequisites of a physician and a caregiver (Haut & Madden, 2015). An ACPN has the holistic caregiving qualifications of a modern nurse and the high-level specialized training of a modern physician, both of which an acute patient constantly needs. Instead of the acute patient having to pay for both the services of a physician and a nurse, the ACPN can play the combined role, be better at it while still saving the patient in terms of costs (Haut & Madden, 2015). The ACPN should, therefore, be the focal point in the future of acute care in America and the world.
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Role and Qualifications
An ACPN combines clinical, nursing, and care roles for acute patients and will thus need qualifications and certification for playing all three roles. Acute patients are patients who will need the near-constant attention of a qualified healthcare professional for a short period (Haut & Madden, 2015). Patients who suffered heavy traumas are examples of acute patients. The clinician will be necessary to examine and diagnose the problem and also prescribe the necessary treatment. The nurse is necessary to take care of them and also administer drugs as per the prescription. The caregiver is also necessary to provide moral and emotional to the patient in that potentially life-changing moment. The ACPN is capable of playing all the above roles contemporaneously (Haut & Madden, 2015). In the absence of an ACPN, the patient would at the very least need a physician and a registered nurse.
The qualifications of an ACPN include academic qualifications, experience, and certification. For a start, an ACPN needs to have undertaken a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) course (Haut & Madden, 2015). The BSN will qualify the individual for certification as a registered nurse (RN) and the ability to enroll for either a master’s course in nursing (MSN) or a doctorate course in nursing (DNP). Secondary courses such as Basic Life Support (BLS) or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) may become necessary based on ACPN specialty. Other than the academic qualifications, the candidate will also need experience as an RN preferably in acute care. The combination of the experience and academic qualifications will then enable the candidate to apply for ACPN certification from the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification-Adult-Gerontology (ACNPC-AG) (Haut & Madden, 2015). The accreditation and certification process inter alia includes a written examination. Upon ACNPC-AG certification, the candidate can then be considered as an ACPN who is allowed to practice for five years before requiring fresh certification.
Impact of ACPN to an RN’s Career Advancement
Advancing to an APN in general and specifically to ACPN can impact the career advancement of an RN in terms of personal growth, professional impact, and sense of accomplishment. The APN program moves the nursing officer from a place of subordination in the healthcare sector to a place of leadership and mutual respect. The traditional nurse was erroneously limited to following the instructions of other professionals, to the detriment of both the RN and the patient. The personal development of nurses would either entail being a leader of nurses or opting for a change of career. APN programs, however, have provided an opportunity for RNs to develop both academically and professionally to the highest levels, while still following their calling as nurses (Institute of Medicine, 2011).
With regard to the last category of a sense of accomplishment, nursing has always been considered as more of a calling than a professional affiliation. Most nurses choose the line of work to impact people positively. Being an RN goes a long way in making a difference to others in terms of public health, but there are limitations (Institute of Medicine, 2011). The voice of the RN is to some extent stifled in the workplace by the voices of other professionals, such as physicians, surgeons, and other specialists who are traditionally considered as superior. However, none of these other professionals can match the level of care-based relationship that the RN has with the patient. Becoming an APN bridges the apparent gap between the RN and the aforesaid professionals thus giving the RN a better opportunity to positively impact the patient and the general world from a perspective of health (Institute of Medicine, 2011).
Conclusion
T he APN programs in general including the ACPN have a positive and timely impact on the profession of nursing from the perspective of the nurse and the patient. Nursing is a unique profession that needs total commitment. It is more of a divine calling mainly manifested through the holistic care concept of nurses having a close and mutually beneficial relationship with their patients. APN programs such as the ACPN which has been featured in the instant research paper advance the care relationship. The advancement combines giving the nurse the academic know-how to enhance the care provided to the patient. Conversely, the advancement gives the nurse the certification and authority necessary to play a larger role in the clinical care of a patient. A literal definition of an ACPN is a nurse who also doubles as a physician in academic prowess, certification, and clinical role. Both the patient and the nurse gain exponential benefits from these advancements.
References
Goodfellow, A., Ulloa, J. G., Dowling, P. T., Talamantes, E., Chheda, S., Bone, C., & Moreno, G. (2016). Predictors of primary care physician practice location in underserved urban and rural areas in the United States: a systematic literature review. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges , 91 (9), 1313 -1221. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000001203
Haut, C., & Madden, M. (2015). Hiring appropriate providers for different populations: Acute care nurse practitioners. Critical Care Nurse , 35 (3), e1-e8
IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press
