Eve Wittlin-Young

Advanced Practice Nursing Philosophy

Philosophy of Advanced Practice Nursing

When developing a philosophy to guide and enhance practice through an advanced practice approach one must first understand what advanced practice nursing truly is. According to Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee (2012) the term advanced practice registered nurse is actually an umbrella term comprised of four advanced practice nursing roles: anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners.  Advanced practice nurses are licensed independent practitioners who provide primary and or specialty nursing and medical care in ambulatory, acute and long term care settings (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 2010). Advanced practice nurses are registered nurses with specialized and advanced education and clinical competency to provide nursing, health and medical care for diverse populations in a variety of care settings, master’s, post master’s or doctoral preparation is required to fulfill this position (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 2010).

Kearney-Nunnery (2008) presents a philosophy of nursing as a particular professional nurse’s belief system or worldview of nursing.  I personally believe that advance practice nursing is a special profession of dedication that requires a thorough knowledge of the human condition that includes the entire spectrum of spiritual, emotional, physical and mental functioning. The American Nurses Association (2010) describes nursing as the protection, promotion, and the optimization of health and abilities of human beings; as well as the promotion of prevention of illness and injury, and alleviation of suffering through diagnosis. I believe that these views and philosophies of nursing fulfills exactly what advanced practice nurses value and achieve through practice, advance practice nurses protect and promote health through prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease and illness. Unlike registered nurses, advanced practice nurses have the specialized education and clinical expertise to diagnose and medically treat patients to improve the health and overall well- being of human life. Advanced practice nurses have purely achieved excellence in their practice and are equip to improve patient care and have a greater impact on the health care system, presenting focus on the health of the population utilizing their superior assessment skills, knowledge and research abilities. Family nurse practitioners serve as primary health care providers for children and adults during health and illness. I believe their goal is to help people of all ages maintain or reach their highest level of well-being and functioning. They do this by educating all individuals about health and illness, completing thorough physical examinations, diagnosing and treating as appropriate.

Advanced practice nurses have most definitely been challenged by politics and our society, especially by the medical organizations that scrutinize the nurse practitioner’s expanding scope of practice. Just as Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee (2012) discuss in the text, there is a growing animosity between medical and nursing organizations due to the struggle for ascendency, not to mention the difference in pay equity, and these are absolute pure examples of how advanced practice nurses are challenged. However, I honestly feel that advanced practice nurses are rising to all challenges and surpassing all expectations that society may present. Advanced practice nurses clearly demonstrate superior clinical abilities as a singular component but also community leadership and political activism through nursing organizations, reaching goals across the nation proving that advanced practice nurses, do in fact, share the same goals as the medical community desiring to promote health to all human beings and treat illness to provide the highest quality of life to all individuals.        

References:

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. (2010). Standards of practice for nurse practitioners. Retrieved May 18, 2011, from