Advancement in Nurse Practitioner Field
Specializations in nursing practitioner are available in different areas such as Gastrointestinal, Cardiology and Ortho. Gastroenterology (GI) Nurse Practitioner (NP) provides care for patients related to gastrointestinal disease of the stomach, oesophagus or bowel. An advanced GI nurse practitioner responsibilities may involve clinical work, including patient care diagnosis, pre-surgery assessment and evaluation, and post-surgery follow up. Gastroenterology NPs can specialize in a very specific aspect of GI, such as inflammatory bowel disease, motility and cancer (Coombs, 2015). Others may specialize in specific organs, such as pancreas, liver disease in both acute illnesses, diagnosing and managing chronic GI and liver disease. Highly trained NP can perform screening colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies.
Another important specialization field for NP is cardiology. Cardiology NP specialist provides care for individuals with the cardiac disease of all ages (Merit & Wesley, 2020). Advanced cardiac specialized NPS routinely help diagnose and treat diseases that include coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, valvular irregularities, cardiac infections and aortic aneurysms.
There is also specialization in orthopaedics. In outpatient orthopaedic clinics, NPs are instrumental and function as a primary care provider and improves primary care access, decrease wait times, reduce surgical cancellation rate, and increase the overall quality of patient care and satisfaction (Merit & Wesley, 2020). In inpatient settings, orthopaedics specialist NPs do surgical and health assessments and physical examinations and orders examinations when needed.
Professional Placement Committee, AANP, ANCC and NONPF
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) provides excellence in different areas with the highest standards for the certification of nurse practitioners with core values, support the NPS with accountability, quality and transparency. It provides a valid and reliable program for NPs to recognize their education, knowledge, professional expertise, and the public by identifying individuals with certain knowledge and skills (Lal, 2021). It functions as an autonomous national nursing certification board responsible for the development and administration of entry-level and speciality NP certification programs, assure consumers that professionals have met current standards of practice, individual’s commitment to a profession and lifelong learning in areas of Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Emergency, Family candidates to meet eligibility requirements for certificating.
The American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) is a subsidiary of ANCC internationally renowned credentialing program certify and recognize individual nurses in speciality practice areas (Lal, 2021). Delivering safe, positive work environments, approving continuing educations for NPs, preparing NPs for new practice roles, validate their knowledge to employs and patients. Pathway organizations focus on collaboration, career development and accountable leadership to empower NPs.
The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) is specifically devoted to promoting high-quality NPs education. It supports educators by establishing competencies, evaluation methods, and strategic partnerships (Lal, 2021). In addition, NONPF has worked on behalf of members to review, analyze and influence policy decisions that impact PN education and practice (Lal, 2021). NONPF represents faculty from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Expectations of a nurse practitioner teaching, precepting, publication in professional journals and presentations at conferences
Clinical preceptors are an essential part of NP education. They share their clinical expertise with students, facilitate critical thinking and clinical reasoning, and provide quality care to patients. The expectations are to educate and review the specific learning objectives, develop a plan, and integrate into their learning goals, observation, role model, and standard learning about the clinical practice values, skills, and critical thinking (Mueller, 2020). Highly skilled and educated NPs function as writers and publish the latest medical findings, current evidence, practical recommendations for patient care and diagnostic decision support, new medical treatment and approaches, tools, and other resources in professional journals.
Furthering education DNP versus PhD
Both DNP and PhD degrees signify the highest level of education in nursing (Pierson, 2021). PhD emphasize scientific content and research methodology in an academic context. A PhD in nursing prepares a nurse to perform health care research that benefits nurses and other medical professionals in the practice setting. On the other hand, DNP prepares a nurse for practice roles, and it emphasizes the delivery of high-quality health care and leadership to improve healthcare systems (Pierson, 2021). Substantially, for both DNP and PhD, a master degree is currently the entry-level for NPs.
Compensation for furthering education insurance reimbursement, salary
The great demand for nurse practitioners is expected to increase by 29% from 2018-2028. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the median annual salary for a nurse practitioner is currently 111,850. U.S News &World Report (Zolot, 2016). Insurance reimbursement for NPs and other advanced practice Nurses is at various spectrum levels. Except for a minority of patients who pay their medical bills, every encounter between an NP and a patient has a third-party participant-the payer. Whether an NP is employed by a medical practice or self-employed, the reimbursement policies of third-party payers often will determine whether an NP continues to provide care on a long-term basis (Zolot, 2016). Payers categorized of third-party are as mentioned: Medicate, Medicaid, Indemnity insurance companies, Managed care organization and Business that contact for certain services.