The Development of Advanced Practice Nursing: the Role of Health Care Reform Essay Example
The Development of Advanced Practice Nursing: The Role of Health Care Reform
Lauren Minimo
Azusa Pacific University
The Development of Advanced Practice Nursing: The Role of Health Care Reform The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of health care reform with regards to the evolution and development of advanced practice nursing (APN) in the United States. Foundational aspects prominent in the development of defined APN roles include the health needs in society, support for innovation in health care, governmental health policy and regulation, health workforce supply and demand, and the development of advanced education, among other factors (Ketefian et al., 2001). APNs are comprised of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners (NPs). With the requirements of this class in mind, further references to APNs will generally suggest NPs.
Historically, the development of the nursing profession has been associated with improvements and the availability of advanced educational opportunities (Ketefian et al., 2001). Currently, the momentum of change and advancement in APN roles has shifted to reforms in health care and the increased need for primary care physicians (PCPs) to serve the continually increasing population without access to comprehensive health care (Chapman, Wides, & Spetz, 2010). A brief history of nursing, and more specifically APN, in the United States will be discussed, followed by the expected associations of APN with health care reform and the very current situation regarding President Barack Obama’s newly passed health care reform law. The need for nurses was first realized on a national scale during the United States Civil War. Following the Civil War, the national population experienced exponential growth fueled by the prominence of national industrialization, furthering the need for additional nurses in the work force (Sullivan-Marx et al., 2010). In 1872, the first permanent
Lauren Minimo
Azusa Pacific University
The Development of Advanced Practice Nursing: The Role of Health Care Reform The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of health care reform with regards to the evolution and development of advanced practice nursing (APN) in the United States. Foundational aspects prominent in the development of defined APN roles include the health needs in society, support for innovation in health care, governmental health policy and regulation, health workforce supply and demand, and the development of advanced education, among other factors (Ketefian et al., 2001). APNs are comprised of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners (NPs). With the requirements of this class in mind, further references to APNs will generally suggest NPs.
Historically, the development of the nursing profession has been associated with improvements and the availability of advanced educational opportunities (Ketefian et al., 2001). Currently, the momentum of change and advancement in APN roles has shifted to reforms in health care and the increased need for primary care physicians (PCPs) to serve the continually increasing population without access to comprehensive health care (Chapman, Wides, & Spetz, 2010). A brief history of nursing, and more specifically APN, in the United States will be discussed, followed by the expected associations of APN with health care reform and the very current situation regarding President Barack Obama’s newly passed health care reform law. The need for nurses was first realized on a national scale during the United States Civil War. Following the Civil War, the national population experienced exponential growth fueled by the prominence of national industrialization, furthering the need for additional nurses in the work force (Sullivan-Marx et al., 2010). In 1872, the first permanent