Critical skills of a Nurse Practitioner
Instructions:-
This paper should include strengths and weaknesses relevant to a nurse transitioning to a nurse practitioner.A self-assessment is an opportunity for you to review what you have learned in the program, evaluate your clinical skills, and develop goals before exiting the NP program. For this assignment, you will complete the Risk Control Self-Assessment Checklist for Nurse Practitioners and identify your areas of strength and weakness. You also will explain how you plan to improve on these weaknesses, as well as how you plan to master clinical skills you have not obtained prior to exiting NP program.
To prepare:
Complete the Risk Control Self-Assessment Checklist for Nurse Practitioners
Review preceptor and faculty evaluations in Meditrek for all completed clinical courses
Consider your strengths and weaknesses
Review types of patients treated and clinical procedures performedWrite a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:
Identify at least three strengths
Explain why you consider these strengths and what you can do to maintain them in your practice
Identify at least three weaknesses
Explain how you plan to address each weakness
Examine at least three clinical skills you need to obtain prior to exiting the program
Explain how you plan to master the clinical skills before exiting NP program
Analyze the history of advanced practice nurses and the emerging role of your specialty area, and discuss what contributions you plan to make to advance the nursing profession
Solution
Critical skills of a Nurse Practitioner
After the period of training, a nurse practitioner is expected to have some basic skills in the nursing. These minimum requirements were set by The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 1993 (Barnes, 2015). The standards from AANP encompasses quality assurance, research by the NP, the care process, documentation, supporting roles, environment of work and client advocacy. NP give health care services to communities, families, and individual thus general the practice involves disease prevention and health promotion, in addition, the practice emphasis on management of injuries and illnesses after diagnosis. In this light, the NP should have skills to order, carry/conduct, and analyses, interpret diagnostic lab test and prescribe treatments and other non-pharmacologic therapies. It is within NP responsibility to counsel and educate patients in regards to healthy living
Master the clinical skills
After the training, NP should have the skill to service the society. To acquire the skills, it requires collaborating effort of NP and the learning institute. Before exiting the program, I need to have master quality competence in the medical field. With this skill, I need to be equipped to evaluate relation among safety of workers and patients, access, quality and cost and their contribution to health services. NP needs to review trend in the current medical field and establish a culture of excellence. To get this skills, I will do the following
- Uphold high standards of practice during the training
- Forge for accountability in practice
- Do evaluation concerning my practice
- Carry out periodic self-evaluation to improve practice
- Monitor the quality of my own practice
- Have continuous improvement in the quality of service given
- Carry comprehensive assessment to determine health problems
History of advanced practice nurses (APNs)
In 1960, Federal legislation set out funding to support the progress of health care workers. With the support, the advanced nursing program advances and by 1970’s, more than 500 nurses were well equipped to give the needed health care. In 1990’s, health care reforms gave rise to the number of Nurse Practitioners. By 1994, more than 49,000 were already employed as nurse practitioners (Sherwood & Brown, 2016). APNs comprises of registered professional nurses, nurses preparing to further experience by the acquisition of skills and knowledge after undertaking post-basic education program and nurses who have a license to carry out medical services. APN is normally prepared to practice the career in an expanded health care setting without limitation hospitals, offices, and community agencies. They act independently in collaboration with other professionals to give best health services. APN do comprehensive health assessments, manage acute illness and stable chronic conditions. To advance nursing profession, I will involve myself in research in collaboration with other practitioners to provide the best medical solution to communities. In my profession, I will find, implement and evaluate the best practices to patients are safe and they get quality services.
Strengths
In the course of the program, I have developed the following strengths in the nursing practice.
- Diagnosis
- Medication prescribing
- Treatment and care: – with this skill, I can educate patients on the treatment plan and the convince them to comply with treatment recommended. The treatment given will be documented and kept confidentially.
To maintain these practice, I will continually and carefully carry disease diagnosis with consultation with other Practitioners to ensure right medical prescription and treatment.
Weakness
From the assess the, I established the following as my weakness
- Carry out of duty outside my scope of authorized practice
- Failure to decline assignments inconsistent with my competence
- Lack of contacting patients who miss appointments
To address the above weakness, I will have contact with my colleagues’ Practitioners’ contact them when I have patients whose conditions are outside my scope of the specialty. I will have contacts and physical address of patients added to their medical records to do the medical follow-up.
References
Anon., n.d. [Online]. Available at: http://www.nso.com/Documents/pdfs/CNA_NPClaimReport_checklistFINAL101812_SEC.pdf
[Accessed 3 June 2017].
Barnes, H., 2015. Exploring the Factors That Influence Nurse Practitioner Role Transition. The Journal of Nurse Practitioners, 11(2), pp. 178-183.
Sherwood, G. & Brown, M., 2016. Defining Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice: Expanding Primary Care Services. The Internet Journal of Advanced Nursing Practice, 4(6), pp. 1-6.
