Advanced Practice Nurses
Discussion 7
Madai
Current Roles of Advanced Practice Nurses
Advanced practice nurses are specialized to perform different roles. “Nurse Practitioners (NP) are specialized to order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests in primary care” (Neto, Rewa, Leonello & Oliveira, 2018, p.720). Besides, NP prescribes medications, provide treatment of injuries and oversee the overall patient health. Certified Nurse Midwife (CN) is in charge of reproductive and gynecological health in the provision of primary care. Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) collaborates with other nursing staff in providing primary care, analyzing patient data and outcomes, and performing nursing practices research. Lastly, “Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists collaborates with other medical specialists to administer anesthesia and oversee the patient recovery” (Heale, 2016, p.311).Therefore, APNs roles focus mostly on provision of primary care.
Effective Tactics for APNs Strategic Positioning Regarding Pay Equality
Advanced Practitioner Nurses can use several strategies to position themselves regarding pay equality. First, collect the relevant data on FNPs pay in other countries or states. The data collected should be analyzed based on the date of hire, gender, job location, working hours per week, overtime pay, and bonuses then used as a bargaining tool for pay equality with the employer. Secondly, APNs can file legal suites against the employer to remedy equality pay. APNs should first examine the pay practices and policies then a file legal suit against the employer (Gardner, Duffield, Doubrovsky & Adams, 2016). Lastly, agree with the employer through labor unions to have measurable performance metrics to serve as points of reference when increasing salaries.
Reasons Nurse Practitioners Should Push for Comparable Worth, Same Service, and Same Pay
Advanced practice nurses should push for comparable worth, same service, and same pay because already there is a shortage of physicians and APNs coordinate all primary care serves in most hospitals located in the rural and suburban areas. Secondly, the kind of training given to advanced practice nurses are sufficient to provide primary care hence they deserve equal treatment (Heale, 2016). Lastly, the licensing body for APNs, physicians and other clinical officers is different hence they should push for comparable worth, same service, and same pay because they are completely in independent professional bodies.
