It goes without saying that nursing plays an immeasurably significant role in modern medicine. At the same time, in the United States, advanced nurses permanently face considerable practice barriers. As a matter of fact, there are professional challenges that exist on a national level, such as barriers related to education, innovation, and communication. A considerable number of nurses do not have the necessary skills for the implementation of evidence-based practice and innovations to improve the quality of their health care delivery. In addition, there is a lack of research with credible and consistent findings that may support innovations in nursing, and nurse professionals frequently face difficulties in reading and interpreting research evidence.
At the same time, in Florida, there is a specific professional barrier for advanced practice nurses that cannot be regarded as typical for all states across the country. First of all, the state experience a lack of primary care providers, and this issue indicates that “demographic and policy trends will only strain a workforce already struggling to meet national needs” (Robert Graham Center, n.d., p. 1). At the same time, the autonomy of nurse practitioners in Florida is highly limited as they should work in the cooperation with physicians who control diagnoses, prescriptions, and patients’ treatment (“Where can nurse practitioners work without physician supervision?” n.d.). The practice authority of health care professionals substantially varies among the country’s states.
In general, competition in advanced nursing implies regulations on state, federal, and national levels that specify the level of supervision and the limitations of nurses’ scope of practice. On the basis of collaborative, consulting, or referral-based relationships between nurses and physicians, nursing practice may be full, reduced, or restricted (Federal Trade Commission, 2014). While in Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, Oregon, or Washington nurses have full practice authority, in Texas, California, or Florida, nurse practitioners are fully dependent on physicians in their decision-making. However, in the present day, the state level’s lawmakers make efforts to provide more independence for nurse practitioners in their practice for more efficient health care delivery. For instance, Jose Oliva, a Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, supported by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, passed the bill that will allow the state’s advanced registered nurses to work independently (Sexton, 2020). In addition, interest groups may have a considerable influence on the national level’s authorities and use various strategies in order to affect government policy in favor of their goals and beliefs. Various medical communities that traditionally has the public’s credibility, may present letters to politicians that will be signed by hundreds of local or state’s health care providers in attempts to move authorities towards their views.
As a matter of fact, the independence of advanced practice nurses in all states across the country is currently becoming more essential as it may provide access to health care services for a greater number of patients. Nurse leaders generally play a highly essential role in any medical community, and their activities may influence the change of health care policy. They represent the interests of all nurses who do not belong to groups with formal decision-making power to make sure that all values essential for health care providers are included in these groups’ mission statements. In addition, the enhancement of the current level of education and support for nurses in the obtaining of necessary skills for evidence-based practice are immeasurably important as well. States, where the average level of nurses’ education and competency is considerably high, may have fewer limitations of nursing practice authority.
References
Federal Trade Commission. (2014). Policy perspectives: Competition and regulation of advanced practice nursing [PDF document]. Web.
Robert Graham Center. (n.d.). Florida: Projecting primary care physician workforce [PDF document]. Web.
Sexton, C. (2020). Florida lawmakers pass major expansions of nurse and pharmacist roles. Orlando Weekly. Web.
Where can nurse practitioners work without physician supervision? (n.d.). Simmons University. 2020, Web.