Advance Practice Nurse: A Case Study

Defining the true meaning of nursing is not a simple task; people often struggle to identify what nurses do or what they are. American Nurses Association defines nursing as, “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2016). Throughout the years, the role of nursing has evolved into much more complex profession. Advance Practice Nurse (APN) has taken the meaning, the duty and the responsibilities of a regular nurse into the next level. APNs are primary healthcare providers who are educated at Masters or Post-Masters level.
The clinical experiences of a CRNA begin before entering a masters or a doctorate degree and through such processes, they hope to recognize the three stages in learning: seeking of the basic information, continued practice and development of confidence, comfort and finesse (Wren, 2005). To become an outstanding CRNA one must begin with the basic information which is finding the physiological, pathological and pharmacological explanation about the patient. In this stage, organization is critical for easier retrieval. Similarly, understanding the principle is preferred more than memorizing the “do’s” and “dont’s” when caring for a patient. Continued practice is commonly defined as hands on learning. Though it is essential for a CRNA to understand procedures, performing it is a better alternative of learning. Experience can transform a CRNA into a much intuitive nurse who can sense that something is not right without conducting a test. The last stage is development of confidence, comfort and finesse; this is considered to make CRNAs quick, efficient and comfortable in most situations. New knowledge is use to enhance existing practice and be able to recognize complications of patient faster than before. This stage is best achieved when a CRNA is comfortable with oneself and the tool, anesthesia, being
The problem cannot reach a conclusion; therefore, it is now in the hands of every state to make that decision. It is their obligation to determine if CRNA, in their state, should be allowed to practice alone. A case study that was tested in Washington states, “Laws governing CRNA practice vary widely across the nation. In 39 of the 50 United States, the laws regulating CRNA practice of not require CRNAs to be supervised by physicians” (Kaplan, 2007). In the year of 2003, Washington made the decision to opt-out from the issue, but, rather, licensed all Washington CRNAs as Advance Registered Nurse Practitioner and accredited them to practice independently. In the state of Oregon, similar situation has altered the States decision. Oregon and Colorado claim that they are confident and trusting CRNAs to perform a safe practice similar to or better than an anesthesiologist (Wickenhagen, 2015).