DQ: Describe how the role of advanced registered nurse transformed over time Re: Topic 1 DQ 1

DQ: Describe how the role of advanced registered nurse transformed over time Re: Topic 1 DQ 1

The advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) has seemed to evolve based on shortages and demands of the population within our healthcare system. Deficits have expanded many nursing roles, leading to the need to define the nursing scope of practice and educational requirements. The traditional four roles of APRN, nurse practitioner (NP), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), certified

DQ Describe how the role of advanced registered nurse transformed over time

registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and clinical nurse specialist (CNS); have all grown exponentially since the 20th century (DeNisco & Baker, 2016). These four roles all seemed to have stemmed from disparities in our healthcare system, whether it be a shortage of physicians, under-severed rural areas, vulnerable populations, or times of war. A great example of this is the advancements within the CRNA field. CRNAs were initially brought about during World War I due to a physician shortage during wartimes (DeNisco & Baker, 2016). The continuation of wars through United States history gave the CRNA field a strong foothold as a chief provider of anesthetics to the frontline. This expansion of the nursing scope of practice in anesthetics eventually led to credentialing and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) to monitor and regulate this growing field (DeNisco & Baker, 2016). Similarly, the growth and expansion of the other original APRN roles through the end of the 20th and 21st century required the nursing field to define graduate-level educational requirements and each specialty’s nursing role. The transformation of traditional APRN roles has now begun to open doorways for other nontraditional advanced practice nursing areas like public health nursing, clinical nurse leaders, nurse administrators, nursing research, and nurse educators.

DeNisco and Baker do a great job of laying out the ongoing evolution and need of the APRN role in the American healthcare system and the need for more advanced practice educators to sustain the APRN field’s continuous growth (2016). With a growing and aging population and a continuing shortage of physicians, the APRN roles offer a cost-effective solution that can also improve patient satisfaction (DeNisco & Baker, 2016). I will say that this week’s reading has made the decision to continue my education in nursing even more appealing and necessary.

References

DeNisco, S. M., & Barker, A. M. (2016). Advanced practice nursing: Essential knowledge for the profession (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN-13: 9781284072570