Discussion Reply

Describe three barriers that have slowed down the progress of advanced practice nursing and strategies to help overcome these barriers. (Saunders, 2014).

Nurse practitioners are faced with many barriers as healthcare evolves with different circumstances. As we all know, the nursing shortage has significantly increase especially since the start of this pandemic. Nurses are leaving the field because they are afraid of transmitting hospital exposed viruses to their love ones. Telehealth has been the Go-To way to assist patients with medical concerns. Nursing is now a high demand since we are the frontline workers. We spend majority of the time caring for the patients, while providing a SBAR to the physicians. RNs and NPs are similar. They must provide leadership and guidance to remove barriers to the high-quality care that they provide.              Why should we be short-changed for all the hard work being rendered. Majority of the times, physicians do not like being bothered late night for orders. Allow the NPs to take over, they are truly capable to give precise orders. If more Practitioners are being utilized, the doctors will be able to assist with the care of more critical patients. Advanced practice RNs should be allowed to practice to the full extent of their education and training. Nurse Practitioners are not being able to be prescribed controlled substances without a DEA number. We as nurse practitioners are able to identify patients that can utilize controlled substance based on their diagnosis and symptoms.

With most physicians having their own practices, it hard for patients to get the care they need when hospitalized or at home. Having a Nurse practitioner on site or on call will allow the doctors to safely care for the patients without being disturb. Nurse practitioners are able to properly assess patients and identify the appropriate medication that needs to be prescribed. NPs plays key roles in improving healthcare. They can operate healthcare clinics, doctors’ offices, etc. We are giving extensive training and education just like residents and able to ensure we safely practice nursing. We are not in competition with physicians, nevertheless, we as nurses spend more time with the patients and can identify the diagnosis without the physician’s input.            Some patients prefer NPs over doctors because nurses are nurturers, we actual take the time to listen to patients concerns. The services that NPs provide; they should be given equal pay for equal services that the physicians deliver. State laws and licensure allows Nurse practitioners to evaluate, diagnosis, order medication and initiate and manage treatment. Even though each state has their own laws, we all take an oath to provide safe and effective care. It would be beneficial if NP’s and Physicians promote strong collaborative relationships within health care teams to achieve high-value patient care. With the use of electronic health records and direct billing for services provided by NPs, this will generate more data to evaluate the contributions NPs delivers to the patients, whereas they should be paid equally. The clinicians for policymakers will be able to see how much of asset nurse practitioners are.

Clarin, O. A. (2007). Strategies to overcome barriers to effective nurse practitioner and physician collaboration. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 3(8), 538-548. doi:http://proxy.stu.edu:2059/10.1016/j.nurpra.2007.05.019

Hain, D., ARNP, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, & Fleck, L. M., PhD, FNP-BC, CDE, FAANP. (2014). Barriers to NP Practice that Impact Healthcare Redesign. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 19(2). doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol19No02Man0