The USA Healthcare System and the New York Nursing System

Question 1 

In the early years, nurses provided a combination of needs because they offered both primary medical services as well as advanced nursing services to ensure that the rural citizens could access medical care. However, several historical antecedents have transformed the role of nurse practitioners and expansion of advanced practice nursing (Barnes, 2015) . In this regard, the role of nurse practitioner has slightly changed in today’s healthcare system because there is more regulation in their practice and they are also required to offer a range of services in the hospital setup. 

Question 2 

Advanced practice registered nurses encompass clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, as well as nurse anesthetists, and all play a critical role in the operation of healthcare system. They play the function of primary care providers by providing preventive care services to the general public (Barnes, 2015) . Advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) diagnose and treat diseases, offer advice to people concerning health matters, handle chronic diseases, and advance education in the health sector to remain technologically and methodologically conversant with new issues in the medical field. APRNs are required to hold at least a master’s degree as well as a nursing education together with required form of licensing (Barnes, 2015) . They are licensed by a board of nursing to offer patient care by putting much focus on the patient population. 

Question 3 

Since 1990, NONPF has selected the key competencies for every nurse practitioner and has validated a list of key competencies for every nurse practitioner upon graduation from NP school. The competencies are applicable to every nurse practitioner irrespective of their medical specialty or focus on patient population. NONPF outlined nine broad parts of core competencies that include scientific foundations, leadership, practice inquiry, quality, policy, technology and information literacy, ethics, independence, and health delivery (Kurtzman & Naylor, 2010). The categories are each divided into specific objectives that should be observed by all nurse practitioners so as to graduate from NP school. The NP schools make use of the core competencies to formulate their curricula to ensure that the students acquire knowledge and skills that would enable them practice as licensed independent practitioners. The NONPF puts more emphasis on the need to achieve these competencies before thinking of the number of hours taken in the field of practice (Kurtzman & Naylor, 2010). There are the scientific foundation competencies that see to it that nurse practitioners leave the nursing school with a deep knowledge in medical sciences. In this regard, every nurse practitioner student is expected to study foundational pathophysiology and pharmacology to expand their knowledge in the field of medical sciences. On the other hand, leadership competencies put focus on professional accountability and advocacy and encompass communication skills and cultural sensitivity. To attain the basic mastery of these competencies, students need to get conversant with the requirements of the curricula and ensure that they study the right things. 

Question 4 

The role transition from RN to NP is a vital career role transition. The transition can be difficult and stressful across different settings. During the transition, there is a shift from an expert status RN role to an inexperienced status in the NP role often resulting in the alteration of professional identity and loss of confidence (Kurtzman & Naylor, 2010). The NP role transition is affected by different personal and environmental factors that are believed to promote the transition. During the transition, people are likely to experience lower job satisfaction and lack of contentment. In this process, I am currently experiencing the difficulty of identifying with my profession and interests due to personal matters. 

Question 5 

A healthy family is where couples complement one another as they work together towards the good of the whole family. A strong relationship between parents gives children a sense of security, confidence, and a feeling of belonging (Swindoll, 2014). When people feel loved and cared for in the family, they will automatically develop a healthy physical wellbeing. For this reason, a family that communicates and shows respect for one another is a healthy one. 

References 

Barnes H. (2015). Exploring the Factors that Influence Nurse Practitioner Role Transition.  The journal for nurse practitioners ,  11 (2), 178-183. doi:    10.1016/j.nurpra.2014.11.004 

KurtzmanE.,& Naylor M. (2010). Health Affairs: The role of Nurse Practitioners in Reinventing Primary Care. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0440 

Swindoll C. (2014). 8 Characteristics of a healthy Family. Retrieved from https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/eight-characteristics-of-a-healthy-family