Advanced Practice Nurse Scope of Practice

Advanced Practice Nurse Scope of Practice

The scope of practice of nurse practitioners is dependent on the state in which one applies for licensure. The scope of practice can be classified as full practice, reduced scope, and restricted scope practice. Currently across the US, most states have either restricted or reduced the scope of practice for nurse practitioners. Only 21 of the states offer nurse practitioners a full scope of practice. In Illinois, nurse practitioners are licensed to practice independently or in collaboration, or under other health care providers.

Educational Requirements

A prospective Advanced Practice Nurse must be a holder of RN licensure. He or she must be a graduate degree or a post-master certificate holder. The other prerequisite is that he or she must hold a certificate in advanced practice in any of the four advanced practice roles certified in Illinois (Illinois APN Requirements | Become a Nurse Practitioner in IL – NursingLicensure.org, 2020). Subspecialty advanced practice nursing is also acceptable when one desires to complete a second degree.

License Requirements

Illinois still practices examination-based certification before licensure. Certification is the sole purpose of corresponding bodies such as the midwives association, and anesthetists association. Nurse Practitioners hold certification from boards like the  American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program and the  American Nurses Credentialing Center among others. Licensure is done by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) and the Illinois Board of Nursing. The official graduation transcripts are a requirement before licensure. The licensing application costs  $125 (Illinois APN Requirements | Become a Nurse Practitioner in IL – NursingLicensure.org, 2020). License renewal is done on a two-yearly basis so long as the APRN maintains certification.

Regulatory Requirements

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) regulates the practice of nurse practitioners. For license renewal, the NP must have completed 80 hours of continuing medical education.  License renewal is two years and costs $80.00 (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 2020). For re-licensure, the certifications of advanced practice must be maintained.

Practice Authority

Illinois has a restrictive law on the practice authority of nurse practitioners. Initially, Nurse Practitioners have to work under physician oversight. Licensing for practice authority requires a nurse practitioner to provide evidence of completion of at least 250 hours of training or continuous medical education or proof that they have at least 4000 hours of experience in the clinical setup (APRNs Granted “Full Practice Authority” in Illinois, 2020). An APRN license is also needed. These are the prerequisites for full practice authority.

Prescriptive Authority

Prescriptive authority is a jurisdiction that provides a healthcare provider with the sovereignty to prescribe medication to patients. The prescriptive independence of nurses has long remained a contentious issue and due to variations of this law in different states in the US, it remains complicated (Jiao et al., 2018). The legal aspects of prescriptive autonomy in Illinois are managed by the Illinois Department of Professional regulation. In the state of Illinois, Nurse practitioners lack complete independence hence they must be oversight by a physician. The laws require Nurse Practitioners to have a mid-level practitioner controlled substance license to have some prescriptive independence for controlled substances which is obtained by supplying a notice filled by a physician (Illinois General Assembly – Full Text of Public Act 096-0189, 2020). Generally, NPs can prescribe under a physician’s instruction. Retaining the licensure on prescription requires a regular renewal of the license and a good reputation. These hurdles in prescriptive authority are meant for ultimate patient safety and high-quality care.

Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies

The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) enlists a set of 10 domains of competencies for Nurse Practitioners. Each domain depicts a set of skills that a nurse practitioner needs to have. These competencies are aligned with the AACN essentials. These competencies are useful in the development of curricula for postgraduate studies. They include competencies in the domain of knowledge for nursing practice, patient-centered care, population health, scholarships for nursing disciplines, quality and safe care, partnerships across different professions,