The Ways to Become a Professional Nurse in the Medical Profession Orientation

To become an advanced professional nurse, you must have attained a Masters level in nursing education. Therefore, the difference between a registered nurse and an advanced licensed nurse is that an advanced professional nurse has more skills and knowledge than a registered nurse lacks. Besides a Masters's level of education, an advanced professional nurse has so many roles to play in the healthcare sector, and therefore he/she must possess extensive clinical knowledge and patient nursing care. He/she must have a broad scope of the nursing profession practice. An advanced professional nurse can provide health care services to all categories of people with different both complex and minor illnesses. However, they should practice the set roles and responsibilities of advanced professional nurses established through the knowledge and skills they gain in their advanced level of education (Grace & DRN, 2017). Some of the areas of specialization for advanced professional nurses include; certified nurse midwife, certified clinical nurse, and accredited anesthetic nurse, among other specialties.

Technology, research, and new ideas are coming up with a different approach to the delivery of healthcare. It has had an impact on the nursing care career. To conform to the changing technology, the new findings in research, and also the upcoming theories in healthcare, nurses have resulted to advancing their education levels, and some of them have managed to become advanced professional nurses. As one advance in his/her career, new responsibilities are added to the previous one, and nurse always has a lot to do with their daily duties. Advancing in education brings new roles to someone's career. The process of advancing in education, probably from bachelor's to master gives the person additional skills and knowledge that he/she can apply in the nursing career. Advancing allows nurses to contribute in different ways to the healthcare system (Carney, 2016).

Advanced professional nursing has contributed to meeting healthcare demands through increased knowledge and skills in the provision of healthcare services to patients. However, it isn't the skills and knowledge that have pushed nurses to acquire more skills and knowledge. The patient's needs and the complexity of care due to the advancing technology have led nurses to go back to books to understand better how they deliver quality and acceptable service to patients through the new technology and also the currently approved procedures. The knowledge and skills advanced professional nurses acquire in education, and they used to improve the nursing care practice and make it advance to new levels just as new technology is developing in the healthcare system (Grace & DRN, 2017). Nurses are the people who spend more hours with patients than medical doctors; having more knowledge and skills in their delivery of services increases patients' trust in them.

Roles of the advanced professional nurse

Physical examination

Advanced professional nursing plays an essential role in physically examining a patient to identify the health problems that are being faced by the patient (Nightingale, 2006). Education level, skills, and knowledge are some of the factors which determine the extent to which a nurse can physically assess a patient. For instance, a nurse in primary care can only perform a comprehensive physical assessment of a patient. An advanced professional nurse can perform physically assess, monitor, and evaluate the health status of a patient in critical condition. Examining a patient who is in a crucial state requires skilled personnel, as the information collected during an examination is used in making treatment decisions for the patient (Carney, 2016). A nurse who has not advanced his/her skills may be challenging for him/her to get the correct results from his/her examination because he/she does not have the required skills and knowledge to do a physical exam for a patient who has a complicated illness.

An advanced professional nurse can think critically and make a diagnosis after physically examining a patient. Diagnosing a patient's illness requires a nurse who has developed skills and knowledge to analyze the collected data, and this set of skills and knowledge are acquired at advanced levels of education, such as the Masters's Level. Using this set of skills and knowledge, he/she can identify some of the health or medical risk factors that may prevent the quality and the required healthcare services to a particular patient (Blair & Jansen, 2015)

Assessing the health status of a patient

Health assessment is one of the significant skills that nurses should possess. Some of the assessment techniques applied in advanced nursing professional practice include inspection and auscultation, especially when performing an abdominal assessment. Palpation is where a nurse touches a patient using his/her fingers, utilizing different strengths of pressure to identify masses within the body which may be the cause of illness (Salmon et al., 2014). There are several levels of assessment which include comprehensive assessment, interval assessment, problem-focused assessment, and special population assessment (Salmon et al., 2014). Each level of evaluation requires a unique set of skills. An average nurse is entitled only to do a comprehensive assessment as it does not need a lot of skills. For instance, in comprehensive evaluations, a nurse takes the history of illness of the patient and just a few physical examinations. An advanced physical nurse can perform problem-focused evaluation, which requires the nurse to have skills and knowledge on how to do it. For instance, problem-focused assessment aims at establishing the cause of the symptoms evident in the patient. A nurse with advanced experience in clinical signs and symptoms of a disease or injury is one who can identify the cause of the symptoms.

During the assessment process, the nurse should be taking down notes that will be used to analyze and diagnose the patient's problem. An advanced professional nurse can analyze and develop a nursing care plan for the patient using the data collected during the assessment process.

Standardized nursing care plan development

A care plan is one of the areas of legal and medical records, and it can take different formats depending on the hospital or organization (Potter & Perry., 2010). Care plans can be printed or handwritten. However, the format of the care plan is determined by the head of the nursing department, which should have an advanced level of education. In developing patients, a nursing care plan requires unique skills, especially when the patient is in a critical condition. The nursing care plan should put into consideration the patient's individual needs and legal requirements, and the interventions in the plan should be affordable and of high quality (Newfield et al., 2007). It is the right of the patient to receive high-quality services at an affordable rate, as it is stated in the United States affordable care act. The primary purpose why a nursing care plan should is developed is to increase the health outcomes of treatment by putting the client's needs into documentation and also to promote a consistent approach to nursing care. Most of the activities which surround nursing care plan development include ordering both pharmacological and non-pharmacological items, developing the patient's education materials or plan, and requesting further diagnostic tests as the treatment process continues (Grace & DRN., 2017). All these activities require an advanced professional nurse who has a broad understanding of nursing care. Implementation of a standardized nursing care plan

Advanced professional nursing plays a crucial role in the implementation of a standardized nursing care plan. Standardized nursing care is implemented according to the nursing care plan. The care provided to a patient during the period of treatment and at the time of discharge should be assured. The main reason why standardized nursing care plans are used is to enhance the quality of care provided to a patient and implement evidence-based care practice (Forsberg et al., 2010). The care plans should be based on the current priorities. The advanced professional nurse's actions should be consistent and should have teaching and learning opportunities that are based on scientific knowledge, clinical expertise, and theoretical knowledge (Blair & Jansen, 2015). Also, his/her action should be consistent and based on an appropriate care plan.

Follow-up and evaluation of the patient's status

Advanced professional nurses play a key role in evaluating a patient's health status and making up a follow-up to know the progress of a patient after he/she is discharged. Advanced professional nurses have the skills and knowledge required to evaluate the patient's health status after undergoing several procedures during the treatment process. The nurse should organize a systematic follow-up of any patient who has been admitted to the hospital with chronic illnesses (Silva et al., 2018). In the follow-up process, the advanced professional nurse should reassess the treatment plan used, and if not that effective, a different treatment plan should be developed to achieve the health goals set for the patient.

Advocating for the patient's rights

The legislation and ethics of nursing require nurses to advocate for patients. An advanced professional nurse takes part in the formulation of both local and international formulation of health care policies (Brykzcynski, 2014). Therefore, an advanced professional nurse should ensure that the rights of the patients are respected and also their culture is considered during the delivery of healthcare services. He/she also has to ensure that the patients are provided with affordable and quality health care in the health facilities he/she is practicing his/her career. Also, the advanced professional nurse plays other key roles in the healthcare sector whereby he/she can act as a healthcare consultant, healthcare manager, researcher, and also mentor.

A nursing professional needs a kind person. Mostly, nurses' encounter with some patients is some of the bitter moments in their life. To be a nurse and love what you do, you need to have a sense of humor, be patient, and be able to pay attention even to the smaller details (Blair & Jansen, 2015). Not only being a nurse but being an advanced professional nurse is my real calling. It requires a person who is passionate about working as a nurse and loves the population, and he/she should enjoy interacting with patients mostly and also have a good relationship with him/her and other nursing, clinical, and medical professionals. Below are some of the interview questions that reflect the topics reviewed in this course.

1.  Why did you choose to be a nurse? This question attempts to get information about the person in particular. From this question, one will be able to know the reason that pushed this person is subject to become a nurse. People always have different ideas as to why they became what they are today. Therefore, by asking this question, you will get to know the reasons why this person decided to advance in his/her profession.
2. Why did you choose to specialize in this field? In nursing, different fields require different personal attributes and have their challenges. People have numerous reasons that make them concentrate on a particular field. Through this question, one will be able to judge the person's attributes and interests in life.
3. What makes you an advanced professional in your practice? This question aims at getting the details on the roles of an advanced professional nurse. However, people have different answers on the part of the advanced levels of their career. You will also get to know what makes the role of an advanced professional nurse complex to the extent that the other registered nurses cannot take their positions.
4. How did you acquire the skills and knowledge to be at this level of a profession? This question aims to get the education and the professional practice background through which the person is subject. In response to this question, the interviewee should take you through all levels of education he/she has undergone before becoming an advanced professional nurse.
5. Does your role include other practices outside the nursing career scope? The question will enable the interviewer to know whether the practices of advanced professional nurses are as per the legal and ethical professional standards of nursing.
6. What barriers do you encounter in your career practice? This question will help in getting to know some of the challenges that advanced professional nurses face in their work on a daily basis that may hinder them from doing their job to the expected capacity. The details the interviewees provide can act as a basis for finding a solution to the problems they face in their work.
7. Which policies back up your practice? The question attempts to know if any policies support the advanced professional nursing practice. If they are there, the interviewee should be able to list them. The question further attempts to know the policies that govern the healthcare sector and also the advanced nursing career.

Conclusion

The skills and knowledge of an advanced professional nurse are above those of a registered nurse. For one to become an advanced licensed nurse, he/she should have attained a master's in any of the nursing fields. In the Masters's level of education, advanced professional nurses get to learn a lot of skills that are applied within and outside the hospital setup and which are helpful in their daily nursing duties. An advanced professional nurse has so much knowledge on how to handle patients who are in critical condition or those who need specialized care than registered nurses. Technology has changed the ways through which health care is delivered to patients. For one to know how to apply the new and sophisticated techniques which have been implemented in the healthcare system, he/she should advance his/her level of education to attain at least a Master. In healthcare facilities, advanced professional nurses play a crucial role in ensuring that quality healthcare services are affordable for all patients. Advanced professional nurses, in their daily career practice, physically examine patients, assess their health status, and order diagnostic tests to establish the illness that is affecting a patient. Also, an advanced professional nurse is entitled to develop nursing care plans for patients and implement them putting into consideration the needs, interests, and cultural aspects of the patient. The roles of advanced professional nurses help to improve the quality of healthcare service delivery to patients. Being a patient advocate, the advanced professional nurse ensures the protection of patients' rights in the healthcare sector. Some of the key details about advanced professional nursing can be identified when interviewing one of the advanced nursing practitioners.

References

1. Nightingale (2006), physical assessment techniques Thomson Delmar Learning, pp. 230–244. Mary, Nick, Salmon, and Constantine (2014) Overview of nursing health assessment AMN health education services, 6th edition
2. Grace & DRN (2016) Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice Jones & Bartlett learning
3. Potter & Perry (2010) Basic nursing: theory and practice CV Mosby, St. Louis, 3rd edition. Carney (2016). Regulation of advanced nursing practice: its existence and regulatory dimensions from an international perspective Journal of Nursing Management, Vol. 24, Issue 1, Pp. 105-114
4. Newfield, Hinz, Tilley, Sridaromont, and Marimba (2007) COX's clinical application of nursing diagnosis F.A. Davis Company in Philadelphia 5th edition
5. Blair & Jansen (2015) Advanced practice nursing: core concepts for professional role development Springer Publishing Company
6. Bahtsevani, Forsberg, and Philhammar (2010) Implementation of standardized nursing care plans: important factors and conditions Pages 40-46 in Volume 4 of the Open Nursing Journal.
7. Silva, Brault, Pineault, Chouinard, Alexandre, and D'Amour (2018) Nursing practice is in primary care, and patients experience care. Journal of primary care and community health, Vol. 9, pp. 1–7
8. Brykczynski (2014). Role development of the advanced. Advanced practice nursing: an integrative approach, p. 86

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