Advance Professional: The Nursing Practitioner Specialty

The Nursing Practitioner Specialty
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The Nursing Practitioner Specialty
The Nursing Practitioner scope and role have undergone evolution over time, arising from the different health care legislations and regulations. Currently, in some states, nurse practitioners have been given authority to diagnose, prescribe drugs, treat, and refer patients and hence do not require to consult a physician. In the past, nursing practitioners primarily performed the role of a care provider under the supervision of a doctor. There are ongoing consultations on whether or not the nurse practitioners should be allowed to operate independently in providing primary care (Fairman, Rowe, Hassmiller & Shalala, 2011). The knowledge and expertise that nurse practitioners have in preventive services and care provision are resources that they can use to advocate for this course. Additionally, their cost-effectiveness and the current primary care physician shortage also presents an opportunity for them to fill the gap.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is an organization comprising of nurse practitioners from the different sp...