MSN 565 Week 5 Discussion 1: Strategizing and Creating Change: Full Practice Authority (FPA)

MSN 565 Week 5 Discussion 1: Strategizing and Creating Change: Full Practice Authority (FPA)

MSN 565 Week 5 Discussion 1: Strategizing and Creating Change: Full Practice Authority (FPA)

Describe a policy initiative implemented by nurse leaders from a national professional nursing association, the processes used by the organization in formulating and implementing a policy agenda and the current outcomes of the initiative.

Suggested organizations include (but are not limited to):

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American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) American Nurses’ Association (A.N.A.)
American Association of Nurse Practitioners (A.A.N.P.)
American Association for Nursing Leadership (AONL), effective May 2019 (formerly AONE)
The American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN)

Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA from within the last 5 years
Peer Responses:

Strategizing and Creating Change: Full Practice Authority (FPA)

 The function of advocacy is one that is performed by the nurse both as a patient advocate and an advocate for the profession. As an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), one is vested with even more responsibility as a clinician. They evaluate, investigate, treat, and follow up patients across the lifespan. In the case of advanced practice nurses, a particular policy issue has been at the forefront for many years. This is the issue of full practice authority (FPA) or autonomous practice for APNs without the need for physician oversight and supervision (Dillon & Gary, 2017; Harkey et al., 2017). Progress towards achieving positive results on it is slow but sure. One of the professional organizations that have been fighting using policy initiatives to achieve success with FPA is the American Association of Nurse Practitioners or AANP. The purpose of this paper is to describe a policy initiative that has been implemented by the nurse leaders from the AANP, the process used in formulating and implementing the policy agenda, and the outcomes of the initiative.

The Policy Initiative

            The AANP has a website dedicated to mapping out the states in which there is already full practice authority. The same map also shows the states that are still restrictive and that prevent APNs from practicing to the best of their knowledge, experience, and education (AANP, 2021). Examples of states that have already implemented FPA are Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Maine, Iowa, and Alaska amongst many others. States that have reduced practice as per the AANP (2021) include Louisiana, Utah, Kansas, and New York amongst others. Lastly, the states that are the most restrictive and having essentially a policy of restricted practice for APNs include Texas, California, Missouri, Michigan, and Virginia amongst others.

            The policy initiative by the nurse leaders in the leadership echelons of the AANP is that of lobbying state and federal legislators (representatives and senators) to change the remaining state laws that are hindering the smooth practice of APNs through reduced and restricted practice. The argument is that the APNs are highly educated and trained and are in a position to deliver clinical care that rivals that of physicians. Another part of the argument is that there is no competition between APNs and physicians because the former mainly fill the clinician gap that exists in underserved communities for primary health care.

The Process in Formulating and implementing the Policy

            The process of formulating and implementing the above policy initiative by the nurse leaders of the AANP adopts a multifaceted approach for maximum success. First, letters are written to elected state representatives who sit in the health committees of the house in states that still have reduced and restricted practice for APNs. At the same time, emails are also sent to them reiterating the position of the AANP that all states must have a policy of FPA (autonomous practice) for all APNs. Since this is a political process, the second method used in the process is the institution and sponsoring of public campaigns in both the print and electronic media as well as on social media (Mason et al., 2016; Milstead & Short, 2019). The campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the public to the advantages that they will get if APNs are allowed to practice autonomously and independently.

The Current Outcomes of the Initiative

            The current outcomes of the above policy initiative are that a total of 22 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) have implemented the legislative policy of FPA. In these states, APNs do not have to enter into any collaborative agreements with practicing physicians so that they can supervise and oversee their work. For the remaining states, the AANP is still unrelenting and pursuing recourse by using all advocacy and political means to achieve the enactment of this favorable policy for APNs.

Conclusion

            Advocacy for the nurse is a very important and significant role. The advocacy is not only for the patient but also for the profession. For instance, this paper has addressed the policy matter of FPA championed by the AANP for APNs who are still in restrictive states.

References

American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP] (April 8, 2021). State practice environment. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment

Dillon, D. & Gary, F. (2017). Full practice authority for nurse practitioners. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 86-93. https://doi.org/10.1097/naq.0000000000000210  

Harkey, K., Little, S., & Lazear, J. (2017). The struggle for full practice in North Carolina. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(2), 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2016.08.025 

Mason, D.J., Gardner, D.B., Outlaw, F.H., & O’Grady, E.T. (2016). Policy and politics in nursing and healthcare, 7^th ed. Elsevier.

Milstead, J. & Short, N. (2019). Health policy and politics: a nurse’s guide, 6^th ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning.