Introduction
The numbers and capabilities of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) have significantly expanded in the last few decades, with the professionals in this position being crucial parts of the care process and the healthcare system overall. APRN specializations are vast, with each of them having a unique history and context of work, with the future of nursing depends heavily on these professionals who continuously advance their scope of practice. The application of the Consensus Model in the context of APRN work needs analyzing to determine whether it can positively influence professionals’ capabilities and support their work, improve patient access to services, and enhance the ANCC certification process.
Future of Nursing: The APRN Consensus Model
The flourishing future of nursing depends on how well APRN practice can be regulated, with professionals being able to broaden their scope of practice and participate in the care process. However, the current rules are quite limited as there is no all-encompassing model that regulates the work of APRNs across the states in the country, with each state independently determining the legal scope of practice of the professionals, their recognized roles, and criteria for certification examinations (Lloyd Doherty et al., 2018). Therefore, due to this limitation, APRNs experience significant barriers when moving between states, which in turn decreases patients’ access to adequate and high-quality care.
To address the hurdles in APRN regulation, the Consensus Model has been created. It encompasses a range of recommendations for unified APRN regulations across the country, including such issues as licensing, professional accreditation, and certification, as well as education (Online FNP Programs, 2022). The main objective of the Model is to unite stakeholders in understanding the role of APRNs in the healthcare processes to support specialists’ practice to the fullest extent possible based on their qualifications and training.
The Consensus Model intends to make it easier for healthcare professionals operating in APRN roles to move between states, which is crucial for enhancing the nursing practice. For instance, if an APRN moves from one state to another, they are required to meet different licensure standards for every state in which they practice. Limitations in standardization across the state have made practice expansion more challenging because each state does not give APRNs full practice authority to make policy changes for the expansion of practice privileges (Lloyd Doherty et al., 2018). Thus, the establishment of the Consensus Model across the country aims to address such problems by establishing standard definitions and licensing and practice mandates.
There are several categories of APRNs, which include nurse practitioners (NPs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), and certified nurse midwives (CNMs), the clinical roles of which differ. Within the four roles, the Consensus Model identifies six “population foci” to be used by national certification organizations and state boards of nursing to structure licensure and certification requirements (Kleinpell et al., 2022). They encompass psychiatric mental health, reproductive health, pediatrics, neonatal, adult-gerontology, and family or individual health across the lifespan orientations. It is recommended that APRNs are trained and get licenses based on their roles and population focus, with additional specialties to be attained later if applicable. For instance, a Registered Nurse can get training and earn certification and a license as an FNP, after which they can specialize in palliative care or corporate health nursing without being certified in additional areas.
Current and potential APRNs must stay up-to-date with new regulations and national certification requirements in their respective roles and population foci. They need to maintain their national certification updated from the time they attain them. In addition, it is recommended that APRNs are in close contact with their state’s board of nursing to determine whether any changes will occur in terms of licensure requirements in the state where they practice. Even though the Consensus Model has taken some time to implement, which has resulted in the retirement of specific specializations and national certification, it helped significantly in clarifying APRNs’ roles in the healthcare process and ensuring that professionals get enough training (Kleinpell et al., 2022). The goal of the timely and adequate certification is ensuring patient safety through established standards, which reaffirm the qualifications of APRNs to serve patients independently and in a wide range of medical environments.
Conclusion
To conclude, the overall goal of the consensus process is to facilitate the successful future of nursing in multiple areas. APRNs can guarantee high-quality care when there is harmony and a shared understanding of the relevant regulatory community that promotes education and high-quality practice. As a long-term goal, it is necessary to develop a broad vision for practice regulation, which would encompass education, certification, accreditation, and licensing. In addition, a set of standards should be created to guarantee improved public health, enhance practitioners’ mobility, and increase access to safe and quality care. Working within the Consensus Model framework allows professionals to gain access to essential supporting services that will enable them to gain more flexibility, which is fundamental to the positive future of nursing.
References
Kleinpell, R., Myers, C., Likes, W., & Schorn, M. (2022). Breaking down institutional barriers to advanced practice registered nurse practice. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 46(2), 137-143. Web.
Lloyd Doherty, C., Pawlow, P., & Becker, D. (2018). The consensus model: What current and future NPs need to know. American Nurse Journal. Web.
Online FNP Programs. (2022). FAQ: What is the APRN Consensus Model and how does it impact the APRN scope of practice? Web.