Nine fundamental competencies have been established by the National Organization of Practitioner Faculties (NONPF, 2019) for all nursing professionals, regardless of their medical specialty or population. These nine competencies include; scientific foundations, leadership, quality, practice inquiry, policy, health delivery system, ethics, independent practice, and technology and information literacy. Strong leadership is critical if the dream of a changed healthcare system is to be achieved. Nevertheless, not all nurses start their careers with the intention of becoming leaders. The care professionals will create leaders across the health system, who can serve as complete partners with other healthcare professionals and who are accountable for their commitment to quality healthcare by working together with representatives from other health professions. The objective of this paper is to analyze nurse practitioner training standards in the state of Arizona, as well as the nurse practitioner's qualifications and leadership skills, and to develop a plan to promote professional development.
APN Scope of Practice
All states and territories have enacted a Nursing Practice Act (NPA) establishing a nursing board (BON) with the power to establish administrative rules or regulations to clarify or amend legislation. In Arizona, nurse practitioners are not required to be supervised by, or partner with, a physician they have full, independent practice authority. Within this legal status, the Arizona Nursing Practice Act provides certain guidance to nurses. Although nurse practitioners may practice without supervision, Arizona State Law necessitates nurse practitioners refer patients outside the knowledge and experience of the nurse practitioner to a doctor or other healthcare provider. Furthermore, the Arizona Board of Nursing requires that nurse practitioners should only practice in their training area, they should not 'exceed the boundaries' (AZBN,2019) of their specialized specialist practice area. In addition, nurse practitioners 'shall only provide healthcare services, including prescribing and administering the nurse practitioner population orientation and position for which the nurse practitioner is educationally trained.' (ISBN,2019) Educational training requires academic or continuing education, including specialization theory and supervised learning.”
Arizona Nurse Practitioner Prescribing Laws
According to Arizona Scope of Practice Policy - State Profile, 2019 supervisory laws, Arizona-based nurse practitioners can prescribe without physician cooperation or supervision. To prescribe, nurse practitioners must first apply for the Arizona Board of Nursing prescribing authority. It involves completing forty-five hours of pharmacology in the three years prior to demand. A nurse practitioner must then apply for a DEA number if he/she decides to administer and or prescribe controlled substances. When prescription authority is given, it can only be used in Arizona, nurse practitioners cannot prescribe in any other state. Although nurse practitioners are free to prescribe without oversight, Arizona Law includes several regulations. Arizona Scope of Practice Policy - State Profile, 2019 states such rules include; nurse practitioners may recommend but may not require refills of Schedule II controlled substances. The Arizona Scope of Practice Policy, 2019 also states that prescriptions must include the nurse practitioner's name, address, telephone number, emphasis, and date. Nurse practitioners are prohibited from administering and or prescribing controlled substances to family members or themselves.” Prescribing may possibly take place in a professional relationship where, for example in emergency situations, the nurse practitioner has assessed the patient with some concessions. Nurse practitioners in Arizona may distribute medication samples. Arizona is one of many states that recognizes the value of nurse practitioners to the healthcare system, giving nurse practitioners flexibility of training.”
Nurse Practitioner (NONPF) Core Competencies
[bookmark: _Hlk24906240] The nine core competencies mandated by the NONPF include; scientific foundations, leadership, quality, practice inquiry, policy, health delivery system, ethics, independent practice, and technology and information literacy. Of these nine competencies, my strengths include ethics and leadership. During my time in the medical profession, I have been able to work my way from the ground up. I started as a medical assistant over fourteen years ago and with hard work and dedication I have now become a registered nurse that leads others. Nursing is full of ethical decision-making in day-to-day activities without a solid ethical foundation a nurse cannot be successful in helping patients. While leadership and ethics are my strengths my weaknesses, or better, opportunities where I may grow lie between technological informatics literacy and policies. Information literacy as defined by NONPF, 2019 refers to the use of digital technology, communications tools, and/or networks to access, handle, incorporate, analyze, generate and communicate information effectively. Such skills help to teach nurse practitioners how to use available technology to improve their patients ' safety and health outcomes. To achieve these goals, nurse practitioners will need to take informatics. Health policy, as defined by NONPF, 2019, refers to the collection of health-related decisions that affect health resource allocation. These can be achieved at corporate, state, regional, and international levels. Such skills teach nurse practitioners how to influence legislation to strengthen health and social issues like poverty, literacy, and crime. To gain these skills, nurse practitioner students may need to take a specific health policy or economics course in healthcare.
Leadership Skills
Integrity, critical thinking, and dedication to excellence are three of the leadership skills required to be a nurse practitioner. Integrity for oneself and between the charges is a primary objective for nurse practitioners. Personal integrity helps nursing professionals make the right choices in the treatment plans for patients at critical junctures. In addition, effective leaders adapt to use and teach ethically sustainable strategies that allow morally safe and effective care decisions to be made by nurse leaders. Nurse leaders direct unpolished nurses using critical thinking to improve their decision-making ability based on a wide set of factors. This expertise is critical in a healthcare setting of growing multidisciplinary collaboration. The rising independence phenomenon for nurses also makes critical thinking a valuable skill for practitioners. Nurse leaders are committed to their passion and mission, exemplifying this through their perseverance in caregiving. To foster this characteristic among new nurses, leaders will quarterly evaluate efficiency. Given the methodology used to boost nurse quality, all nurse leaders teach their excellence charges by providing top-notch service so that trainees can benefit from their examples. The nursing profession needs professional, committed leadership. As corporate leaders, these practitioners represent nursing at virtually every professional contact point within the organization. This will grow in importance as nurse representatives are more often entering the boardroom sector as time progresses. Nursing leadership changes hands over the next decade to a new generation of nursing talent. Both practitioners will play a vital role in connecting nurses and executives in the changing healthcare climate.
Conclusion
The care profession should build advocates across the health system, who can act as complete collaborators with other healthcare professionals and who are accountable for their commitment to quality healthcare by partnering with members from other healthcare professions. This paper has examined the nurse practitioner training standards in the state of Arizona, as well as the credentials and leadership skills of the nurse practitioner, and to develop a plan to encourage professional development.
References
(2019). Retrieved 18 November 2019, from https://www.azbn.gov/sites/default/files/2018-12/rulesjuly12017final.pdf
Arizona Scope of Practice Policy - State Profile. (2019). Retrieved 18 November 2019, from http://scopeofpracticepolicy.org/states/az/
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