Developing a Professional Growth Plan for Nurse Practitioners- Examining Roles, Competencies, and Leadership Skills
The scope of practice of nurse practitioners differs from State to State. Generally, they are involved in the assessment of patients, diagnosis, and development of treatment plans to fulfill the needs of patients. The educational background of nursing practitioners entails acquiring a master’s degree or doctorate. This equips the practitioners with relevant clinical skills essential in the provision of primary health care services. Leadership entails directing and influencing subordinates toward common goals and objectives. Leaders should understand their followers and utilize the most effective strategies to achieve their goals. This paper discusses the scope of practice of nurse practitioners’ core competencies and identifies leadership skills relevant to their practice.
APN Scope of Practice
I intend to practice in the State of California after my graduation. Various educational requirements must be fulfilled before a person is legally certified as a Nurse practitioner in California. The index requirement is the possession of a relevant and current registered nursing license (Spetz, 2018). This license is acquired after successfully completing a bachelor of science in nursing. Furthermore, completing an associate degree in nursing is another alternative (Spetz, 2018). Both pathways are followed by successfully sitting for examinations and applying for licensure as registered nurses. The second educational requirement is the possession of a graduate or master’s degree in nursing or a clinical practice sector related to nursing practice (Spetz, 2018). The third requirement is the fruitful completion of a program for nurse practitioners from an accredited institution (Spetz, 2018). These requirements were enforced from 1st January 2008.
Certification of nursing practitioners will be done upon fulfillment of the aforementioned educational requirements. Once certified, the practitioners will be allowed to identify themselves with relevant initials and their area of specialization. The California Board of Registered Nursing is responsible for regulation and certification (Spetz, 2018). The regulations allow certification in various specializations, such as geriatrics, psychiatry, and family practice (Nursing Practice Act, n.d.). Practitioners who study in foreign countries are required to fulfill all requirements before they are certified. All academic programs should provide proof of accreditation in California and the United States Department of Education (Nursing Practice Act, n.d.). Applicants to be certified must attach official transcripts, the completion date of their graduate or postgraduate study, their credentials, and the scope of coursework (Nursing Practice Act, n.d.). Feedback on the success or failure of the application should be delivered within thirty days.
The State of California allows limited nurse practitioner practice. The scope entails that of a registered nurse, primary health care, and stipulated in standardized procedures (Nursing Practice Act, n.d.). Nurse practitioners perform different roles in these procedures. They are involved in ordering medical equipment, examining patients to confirm disability, and modifying treatment plans (Spetz, 2018). The modification of treatment plans and patient examination is done in collaboration with physicians and surgeons. The role of nurse practitioners in ordering drugs and medical equipment is strictly regulated and is accomplished in collaboration with physicians and surgeons (Spetz, 2018). The nurse practitioner must possess a valid furnishing number (Spetz, 2018). The law grants physicians and surgeons the authority to decide the scope of collaboration and supervision.
Nurse practitioners provide primary health care services without the need for standardized procedures. They are involved in the provision of maternal and child health care services such as antenatal care, postnatal care, immunization, and identifying gynecological problems (Spetz, 2018). They provide psychiatric services and ensure their mental well-being. Nurse practitioners are involved with all patient populations, including neonates, pediatrics, and geriatrics. Furthermore, they provide individualized healthcare services to families. These services include acute and chronic health care services (Spetz, 2018). Therefore, nurse practitioners are essential providers of primary health care. Limitation to practice occurs when they engage in other roles that are guided by standardized procedures.
According to the Nursing Practice Act (n.d), nurse practitioners are allowed to order and prescribe medications in the State of California. However, this is in collaboration with physicians and surgeons. Accordingly, this collaboration facilitates the formulation of standard operating procedures (Nursing Practice Act, n.d.). The physicians and surgeons establish the scope of the supervision. The law does not require them to be physically present for the nurse practitioner to order drugs or devices. All certified nurse practitioners engaged in ordering drugs and medical equipment will possess a valid furnishing number (Nursing Practice Act, n.d.). Nurse practitioners possess the authority to order, prescribe, and issue controlled substances. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration registers all nurse practitioners who handle controlled substances.
Nurse Practitioner (NONPF) Core Competencies
According to Chan et al. (2020), the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties requires a nurse practitioner to embrace nine competencies. Among these competencies, I believe I possess ethics and policy competencies. During my previous experiences, I have appreciated the importance of healthcare ethics when dealing with patients and other team members. Patient autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice are key ethical considerations (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). They help to guide the decision-making process when an ethical dilemma is witnessed. Work ethics such as honesty are important in routine activities. Also, ethics facilitate the making of decisions in complex healthcare settings. I have familiarized myself with different state, federal, and global health policies. The policies vary in their legality. An understanding of the policies has enabled me to appreciate their influence on nursing practice.
The two competency areas where I possess the opportunity for growth are independent practice and leadership. Independent practice refers to the ability to execute the task with minimal supervision (Chan et al., 2020). In this context, the tasks involve patient valuation, diagnosis, and development of treatment plans. It also involves providing adequate care to a specific patient population: neonates, pediatrics or geriatrics, psychiatry, or expectant women (Torrens et al., 2020). Independent practice promotes work autonomy, accountability, and reliability. It also enables a nurse practitioner to embrace a holistic care approach by focusing on patient-centered care. Ultimately, this ensures that all of the needs of the patients are met.
Leadership emphasizes accountability. Accountability requires a nurse practitioner to familiarize themselves with their scope of work. This enables them to develop specific skills that will enable them to become effective team leaders (Torrens et al., 2020). Leadership requires stellar communication and critical thinking. This competency will enable me to collaborate effectively with other healthcare practitioners, participate in policy formulation and interact with patients (Chan et al., 2020). It will also enable the development of innovativeness to come up with the best ideas that promote the growth of the healthcare system.
The activities that will enable me to achieve all of the core competencies are research and collaborating with my instructors and other professionals to put the knowledge into practice. Research is important because it provides additional information about a particular topic (Chan et al., 2020). As a result, it will enable me to acquire knowledge on the advances in the healthcare system. It will also enable me to understand the core competencies, merits, and scope. This forms the basis for developing a framework to embrace the nine core competencies. The research will be accomplished using online library resources and various scientific search engines such as CINAHL that provide scholarly articles (Figueira et al., 2018). The research will be succeeded by collaborating with instructors to put the knowledge into practice. This will promote critical thinking and analysis of real-time evidence-based practices. This practical aspect promotes a better understanding and enables nurse practitioners to embrace all core competencies.
Leadership Skills
The three leadership skills needed by a nurse practitioner are communication skills, integrity, and decisiveness. Good communication skills entail using nonverbal cues, good listening skills, and appropriate turn-taking in the conversation (Suhariyanto et al., 2018). Open communication ensures that policies, goals, and objectives are well understood. It also creates a good rapport with patients and other healthcare providers. Decisiveness enables the nurse practitioner to make timely key decisions (Ojha et al., 2020). This character is needed when deciding on a treatment plan for a patient and during policy formulation. Decisiveness demonstrates good problem-solving ability and autonomy in practice. Integrity enables the nurse practitioner to uphold work ethics and healthcare ethics (Torrens et al., 2020). A person of integrity abides by the set rules and moral obligations. Integrity prohibits indulgence in activities that compromise the well-being of patients. This is also important for the practitioner’s professional reputation.
Two strategies that promote the development of leadership skills are developing self-awareness and progressive learning. Self-awareness facilitates the recognition of people’s perceptions and one’s strengths and weaknesses (Torrens et al., 2020). This should form the basis for modifying and adopting strategies that embrace good leadership. People’s perceptions act as checkpoints towards the achievement of key skills. A person’s weaknesses should serve as a template for developing desirable traits. Progressive learning facilitates discoveries and more information (Torrens et al., 2020). It enables a person to familiarize with leadership skills and strategies used by notable people to become effective leaders. It also enables people to learn from their mistakes and make appropriate modifications.
Conclusion
The scope of practice of nurse practitioners differs from State to State. Generally, they are involved in the assessment of patients, diagnosis, and development of treatment plans to fulfill the needs of patients. Various educational requirements must be fulfilled before a person is legally certified as a Nurse practitioner in California. These requirements include possession of a valid registered nurse practice license and a postgraduate program in nursing or a related field. Further, according to the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, a nurse practitioner should embrace nine competencies. These competencies are key to routine practice and interaction with other healthcare providers. Lastly, nurse practitioners should develop desirable leadership skills to execute their roles effectively.
References
Chan, T. E., Lockhart, J. S., Thomas, A., Kronk, R., & Schreiber, J. B. (2020). An Integrative Review of Nurse Practitioner Practice and its Relationship to the Core Competencies. Journal of Professional Nursing, 36(4), 189–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2019.11.003
Figueira, M. C. E. S., Silva, W. P. da, & Silva, E. M. (2018). Integrative Literature Review: Access to Primary Healthcare Services. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 71(3), 1178–1188. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2017-0441
McDermott-Levy, R., Leffers, J., & Mayaka, J. (2018). Ethical Principles and Guidelines of Global Health Nursing Practice. Nursing Outlook, 66(5), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2018.06.013
Nurse Practice Act. (n.d). ARTICLE 8. Nurse Practitioners [2834 – 2837]. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&division=2.&title=&part=&chapter=6.&article=8.
Ojha, D., Patel, P. C., & Sridharan, S. V. (2020). Dynamic Strategic Planning and Firm Competitive Performance: A Conceptualization and an Empirical Test. International Journal of Production Economics, 222(October 2018), 107509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.09.030
Spetz, J. (2018). California’s Nurse Practitioners: How Scope of Practice Laws Impact Care. 2018(July), 1–21. https://www.chcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NursePractitionerScopePracticeLaws.pdf
Suhariyanto, Hariyati, R. T. S., & Ungsianik, T. (2018). Improving The Interpersonal Competences of Head Nurses through Peplau’s Theoretical Active Learning Approach. Enfermeria Clinica, 28(April), 149–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1130-8621(18)30056-1
Torrens, C., Campbell, P., Hoskins, G., Strachan, H., Wells, M., Cunningham, M., Bottone, H., Polson, R., & Maxwell, M. (2020). Barriers and Facilitators to the Implementation of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner Role in Primary Care Settings: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 104, 103443. https://doi.org/10.1016/
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Question 
This assignment’s purpose is to provide the student with an opportunity to explore the nurse practitioner (NP) practice requirements in his/her state of practice, NP competencies and leadership skills to develop a plan to support professional development.
Developing a Professional Growth Plan for Nurse Practitioners- Examining Roles, Competencies, and Leadership Skills
Activity Learning Outcomes
Through this assignment, the student will demonstrate the ability to:
Examine the roles and competencies of advanced practice nurses essential to performing as leaders and advocates of holistic, safe, and quality care. (CO1)
Analyze essential skills needed to lead within the context of complex systems. (CO3)
Explore the process of scholarship engagement to improve health and healthcare outcomes in various settings. (CO4)
Due Date
Assignment should be submitted to the Week 4 Roles in APN Professional Development Plan dropbox by Sunday 11:59 p.m. MST at the end of Week 4.
When the assignment is placed in the dropbox, it will automatically be submitted to Turnitin. You may submit the assignment one additional time before the due date to lower the Turnitin score. If you choose to resubmit, the second submission will be considered final and subject to grading. Once the due date for the assignment passes, you may not resubmit to lower a Turnitin score.
This assignment will follow the late assignment policy specified in the course syllabus.
Students are expected to submit assignments by the time they are due. Assignments submitted after the due date and time will receive a deduction of 10% of the total points possible for that assignment for each day the assignment is late. Assignments will be accepted, with penalty as described, up to a maximum of three days late, after which point a zero will be recorded for the assignment.
In the event of a situation that prevents the timely submission of an assignment, students may petition their instructor for a waiver of the late submission grade reduction. The instructor will review the student’s rationale for the request and make a determination based on the merits of the student’s appeal. Consideration of the student’s total course performance to date will be a contributing factor in the determination. Students should continue to attend class, actively participate, and complete other assignments while the appeal is pending.