Who is a nurse practitioner

The master’s prepared nurse attains specialized skills, complex clinical and decision-making competences that allow them to practice independently in assessing, diagnosing and managing various illnesses and conditions. There are areas of nurse practitioner specialization which include, the family nurse practitioner, pediatric nurse practitioners, the clinical nurse specialist, the psychiatric-mental nurse practitioner among others. The advanced nurse practitioner has more independent scope of practice which is dictated by the practice guidelines and policies in the state in which he/she practices. In some states, the nurse practitioner has the allowance to practice independently without any physician supervision, with the right to prescribe medications, draw and follow-up patients on plan and conduct and fill in patient assessments. In other states the nurse practitioner is limited in their independence of practice.

Nurse practitioners have the skills to initiate research and critique research to establish its suitability in application in practice. Through research, the nurse practitioner plays a critical role in the development of the body of knowledge in nursing. In the future the roles of the nurse practitioner are likely to grow and expand beyond the current roles. This will be influenced by the gradually shifting policies which allow practitioners more freedom to practice to the extent of their training and capacity and the growing elderly population and the surge in non-communicable chronic illnesses requiring care and management. How will I impact my community? My ambition to pursue a Masters in nursing has been majorly influenced by my past experiences both as a nurse and as an individual.