How should nurses assure policy change for advanced practice registered nurses?
ANSWER
Advanced training Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are healthcare professionals who have completed additional education and clinical training to provide comprehensive patient care. Nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives and certified registered nurse anesthetists are all examples of APRNs. APRNs have become essential to the healthcare workforce in recent years, providing quality and cost-effective care to patients in various settings. Despite their significant contributions, APRNs face several barriers to practice, including restrictive state regulations and limited reimbursement policies. Nurses can play a critical role in advocating for legislative and regulatory reforms that recognize and support the full scope of APRN practice to ensure policy change for APRNs.
Engaging in grassroots advocacy efforts, such as writing letters, making phone calls, and meeting with policymakers is one-way nurses can ensure policy change for APRNs. Nurses can work with APRN organizations, state nursing associations, and other stakeholders to form a unified voice supporting APRN practice. Nurses can also educate policymakers and the general public about the advantages of APRN practice, such as increased access to care, improved health outcomes, and cost savings. Nurses can help remove barriers to practice and expand access to quality care by advocating for APRN-friendly policies.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has addressed rural workforce shortages by encouraging APRNs to meet the growing demand for primary care services. The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid coverage, allowing more patients in rural areas to access primary care services provided by APRNs. Furthermore, the ACA established the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), which offers scholarships and loan repayment programs to healthcare professionals who agree to work in underserved areas. Many APRNs have participated in the NHSC program, which has assisted in addressing workforce shortages in rural and underserved areas.
Furthermore, the ACA encourages team-based care models in which APRNs collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals. This strategy has increased access to care, reduced costs, and improved patient outcomes, especially in rural and underserved areas. The Affordable Care Act also established the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), which tests innovative payment and service delivery models that encourage the use of APRNs and other advanced practice providers.
Finally, nurses can play a critical role in ensuring policy change for APRNs by engaging in grassroots advocacy efforts and educating policymakers and the public on the benefits of APRN practice. By encouraging APRNs to provide primary care services, the ACA has helped address workforce shortages in rural communities. Nurses can help expand access to quality care and improve patient health outcomes by advocating for policies recognizing and supporting the full scope of APRN practice.
References:
ANP stands for American Nurse Practitioners Association (2021). Establish the practice environment. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment
National Council of State Nursing Boards. (2021). Model of APRN Consensus. https://www.ncsbn.org/aprn-consensus-model.htm
Rural Health Association of America (2019). Rural America and the Affordable Care Act. https://www.ruralhealthweb.org/NRHA/media/Emerge NRHA/PDFs/Policy%20documents/ACA-and-Rural-America.pdf
QUESTION
How should nurses assure policy change for advanced practice registered nurses?” What role does the Affordable Care Act (ACA) play in addressing workforce shortages in rural communities?
Rationale must be provided
400 words
Minimum of two scholarly references in APA format within the last five years published
Plagiarism must be below 15 %