Practice Barriers for Advanced Practice Nurses in New York State
There are many obstacles to practicing for different advanced practice nursing responsibilities. In my state, licensure portability is typically the biggest obstacle for nurse midwives, anesthetists, practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists. License portability is crucial to ensure the public has meaningfully expanded access to proper care and to establish minimum criteria for safe practice.
Barriers for Nurse Midwives
One practice hurdle for nurse midwives is the necessity of working under the direction of a doctor for collaboration agreements. This mandate restricts their autonomy and may cause delays in service provision (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022).
Barriers for Nurse Practitioners
The principal practice barrier in New York State is the need for nurse practitioners to have a collaboration agreement with a physician. The rule still restricts NP’s capacity to practice independently despite the permission of New York State for a scaled-back level of partnership (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2021).
Barriers for Clinical Nurse Specialists
The fact that other healthcare professionals in the state need to comprehend the role and scope of clinical nurse practice entirely is another obstacle that restricts the capacity to use their degree and training to the fullest (De Bruijn-Geraets et al., 2018).
State and National Competition Affecting APNs’ Independent Practice
The absence of uniform practice regulations throughout states is one practice hurdle for APNs nationwide. This may lead to misunderstandings and prevent APNs from using their education and training efficiently in their practice (Ross et al., 2018).
The capacity of APNs to practice autonomously may be constrained at the state level by rivalry for patient populations and financial resources among healthcare institutions. Competition for national policy influence among interest groups may impact APN practice laws.
Key State Lawmakers Influencing APN Policy in New York
Governor Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins are essential state officials in New York. The New York State Nurses Association and the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists are two organizations that advocate causes that impact APN policy at the state level in New York. The American Nurses Association and the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health are national interest organizations.
Strategies for Influencing Policy Change
There are several ways to modify policy about APNs, including lobbying, activism, and grassroots initiatives. These techniques can be used to promote legislation that supports APN practice regulations at the state and federal levels (Macklin, 2018). They can learn more about existing and proposed policies by reading policy briefs. The AANP supports model messaging and encourages NP to follow guidelines, write to elected officials on these policies, and track them.
References
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2021). State practice environment. Web.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2022). Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners. Web.
De Bruijn-Geraets, D. P., van Eijk-Hustings, Y. J., Bessems-Beks, M. C., Essers, B. A., Dirksen, C. D., & Vrijhoef, H. J. M. (2018). A national mixed-methods evaluation of the effects of removing legal barriers to full practice authority of Dutch nurse practitioners and physician assistants. BMJ Open, 8(6). Web.
Macklin, J. R. (2018). Exploring needs of advanced practice nurses attempting to operate community healthcare clinics in rural and underserved areas (Publication No. 10980041) [Doctoral dissertation, Northcentral University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Newel, S.M., Deeter,K.L., Harding, K.A. (2022). An Analysis and Review of the Use of State Legislator Clinical Site Visits to Increase Advocacy for Nurse Anesthesiologists. AANA Journal. Web.
Ross, A., Brooks, A. T., Yang, L., Touchton-Leonard, K., Raju, S., & Bevans, M. (2018). Results of a national survey of certified nurse coach with implications for advanced practice nurses. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(5), 251-261. Web.