Education, Accreditation, and Certification
APRNs demonstrate effective integration of theory, practice and experiences along with increasing degrees of autonomy in judgments and interventions. Intensive post-graduate education is designed to teach an APN to use multiple approaches to decision-making, manage the care of individuals and groups, engage in collaborative practices with the patient or client to achieve best outcomes; provide a supportive environment for colleagues; manage the utilization of staff and physical resources; engage in ethically justifiable nursing practice; protect the rights of individuals and groups; engage in activities to improve nursing practice; develop therapeutic and caring relationships; fulfill the conduct requirements of the profession; act to enhance the professional development of self; and function in accordance with legislation and common law affecting nursing practice.
APRN education forms the basis of four recognized general areas of specialization:
- Nurse anesthetists (in the United States, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists or CRNAs)
- Nurse midwives (in the United States, Certified Nurse Midwives or CNMs)
- Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs)
- Nurse practitioners (NPs)
Each nurse specialty, especially NPs, can have sub-specialties or concentrations in a specific field or patient population in healthcare. Each has a unique history and context, but shares the commonality of being an APRN.
While education, accreditation, and certification are necessary components of an overall approach to preparing an APRN for practice, these roles are regulated by legislation and specific professional regulation. This allows for prescribing and referral, insurance reimbursement, and admitting privileges to health care facilities. In the US, the licensing boards are governed by State regulations and statutes and are the final arbiters of who is recognized to practice within a given State. While APRNs are educated differently depending on their specific specialty, all APRNs are now trained at the graduate level and are required to attain at least a master's degree, generally a Master of Science in Nursing in their field of concentration.
In 2004, The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in conjunction with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) recommended that advanced practice registered nurses move the entry level degree to the doctorate level by 2015. Accordingly, all APRN training programs are required to convert their master's degree to a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree by the year 2015. Although The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists approved this recommendation, it is not requiring program compliance until the year 2025.
The majority of programs will grant a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Because 45% of the nurse anesthesia programs are located in Schools of Allied Health, these programs will award a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP). The Doctor of Nursing Practice will be the direct-entry, minimum academic requirement for advanced practice registered nurses; it is a clinical/practice-based doctorate but because it is not the entry degree for the profession of nursing (which includes advanced practice registered nursing), it is a terminal degree.
Read more about this topic: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse