| [Your Name] St. Claire Medical Center Company Address Telephone Fax Email |
The Nursing Affairs Director
American Nurses Association
155 E 44th Street. New York, NY 10017
CC/BCC Block:
Change of Regulations on APRNs in the US States
Dear Sir:
This letter showcases the importance of changing the current policy frameworks regulating APRNs roles in certain states. The federal government lacks a clear framework regulating these important nursing roles (APRNs). The federal government leaves the duty to the state regulations, specifically the state board of nursing under the nursing practice act (NPA). Thus, some states such as Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado are full practice states that allow nurse practitioners to practice independently (Schorn et al., 2022). However, States such as California, Georgia, and Florida fully restrict APRN independent practice.
APRNs are important persons with advanced skills and knowledge. Their skills and expertise allow them to perform advanced roles such as diagnosing and treating conditions within their practice scope. Independent practice allows these individuals to open their clinics and hospitals, bringing these skills closer to the communities and availing advanced care (Ortiz et al., 2018). There is a need to remove the practicing restrictions to utilize their skills to ensure better patient outcomes. It is also crucial to the APRNs’ personal and professional growth.
The proposed change is developing a federal policy that lifts restrictions on APRN and APN roles. The policy will decrease the restriction on these roles and promote their independent practice. Lifting the regulations will ensure these nurses exploit all their knowledge and skills because these restrictions underutilize their expertise and training (Neprash et al., 2021). Thus, it will improve their morale and job satisfaction and promote healthier communities. Therefore, the federal government should develop a policy instructing states to lift practice restrictions on APRNs and APNs.
The costs of implementing the proposed change will be minimal. Allowing APRNs independent practice will reduce the cost of absorbing all of these professionals in hospitals, decreasing healthcare spending. In addition, it will avail specialized services to the communities, further reducing healthcare costs.
As a change agent at the policy table, the nurse plays various roles. They play the advocacy role by ensuring fairness to their profession and the patients. They assess the patients, hospital, and professionals to determine areas of need and provide carefully collected and analyzed data to support their claims (Salvage & White, 2019). They also provide data to validate or refute various policies based on their relevance and merits to the patients. They are change management agents and promote the acceptance of policies in healthcare institutions among peers and other healthcare professionals. Thus, nurses’ involvement as change agents at the policy table is integral.
Sincerely,
Name
Nursing Officer
St. Claire Medical Center
References
Neprash, H. T., Smith, L. B., Sheridan, B., Moscovice, I., Prasad, S., & Kozhimannil, K. (2021). Nurse practitioner autonomy and complexity of care in rural primary care. Medical Care Research and Review, 78(6), 684-692. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558720945913
Ortiz, J., Hofler, R., Bushy, A., Lin, Y. L., Khanijahani, A., & Bitney, A. (2018, June). Impact of nurse practitioner practice regulations on rural population health outcomes. In Healthcare (Vol. 6, No. 2, p. 65). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6020065
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