Introduction
Providing proper healthcare is important for the full recovery of patients. As such, hospitals assign patients to nurses who will ensure proper medical care and quick recovery. Nurse practitioners (NPs) help in preventing diseases, promoting health, diagnosis and health education. NPs play an essential role in patient recovery, although they have responsibilities beyond administering medication. Nursing roles have expanded over the years due to the evolution of the dynamic healthcare system. New infections emerge, and, at the same time, scientists and doctors develop superior treatment options. Therefore, my specialty as a nurse practitioner would be in adult-gerontology primary and acute care.
There is a need for more nurses who have specialized in adult-gerontology acute care as the number of patients who require critical care in the field continues to rise. As such, I am dedicated to completing certification and residency to gain expertise to fill the existing gap. Moreover, the practice requires one to conduct critical care procedures and assist other sectors that may require help in treating adult acute care conditions (Buppert, 2017). Upon graduation, a qualified nurse has the capacity to give care to a wide variety of patient populations. A well-qualified healthcare professional is integral to the full recovery of patients.
An acute care adult-gerontology nurse is tasked with various roles and competencies in the profession. There are a number of role delineations based on the specialty as stated by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) and the American Association College of Nurses (AACN) (Guerra & Zabalegui, 2016). The qualified healthcare professional is required to have broad knowledge and practice in the eight existing competencies. These include management of patient health and illness status, NP-patient relationship, patient education, professional role, negotiating healthcare providing systems, keeping track of quality healthcare, and cultural competence (Guerra & Zabalegui, 2016). As a new advanced practice nurse (APN), I will look into each detail of the outlined roles, using the skills and understanding obtained throughout the program.
Management of Patient and Illness Status
Nursing practitioners are highly skilled to meet the needs of patients in an ongoing critical care setting. To achieve this safely and appropriately, it is important to put more emphasis on health promotion and preventive care, acute disease management, and patient education and encourage regular health check-ups. Preventive care and education measures are the most important among the listed (Buppert, 2017). Fighting the root causes of an illness is perhaps the focus of most government organizations and societies. Nurses are the backbone of a healthy nation because they are at the frontline, interacting with patients regularly in healthcare institutions and social settings. Therefore, nurses should have the skills to educate patients on preventative measures and the available treatment options.
Passing knowledge to patients helps them to take a proactive role, which may result in positive outcomes for their overall health. Moreover, making sure that a patient understands what is required of them is a key element of inpatient care. Passing on education to patients contributes to their developed health knowledge (Guerra & Zabalegui, 2016). Every interaction with a patient is a chance to pass information and carefully disseminate knowledge, a strategy for illness management and care. However, information and education should be done with the care of cultural differences. Nevertheless, healthcare professionals should educate patients on important areas, such as physical activity, diet, and managing medication. This establishes a healthy relationship with a patient, which is helpful in ensuring that a patient adheres to treatment procedures, which results in desirable outcomes.
NP-Patient Relationship
Setting up a warm relationship with the patient is critical to the aftermath of a patient’s care. As an NP, one has a solid base in gaining trust and engineering a relationship with the patient because of the constant interaction. The education and clinical training of such nurses involve expertise that requires one to provide care for the patient as a whole and keenly pay attention to their needs and requirements. Clinicians collaborate in order to establish relationship-centered patient care by scrutinizing patient values and needs. A successful patient-nurse relationship is dependent on healthy communication and formulating a vital approach to meeting specific patient goals (Cooke, 2016). Setting up a connection with the patient, approaching the patient as a team, establishing trust, and making sure there is effective communication can aid in alleviating treatment resistance that is often a result of fear or ignorance (Cooke, 2016). A patient who trusts their caregiver will follow instructions with conviction. Consequently, education will enhance a professional’s ability to pass along information related to treatment while ensuring adherence to medication and other procedures required for health improvement.
Conclusion
Comprehensively, role delineations are key factors to serving the different health populations effectively as a nurse practitioner. Forming a lasting relationship remains a caregiver’s main chance of providing the best care. However, nurses should gain the right knowledge and education to give the best medical care to patients. All through the curriculum, I gained the required skills to perform each duty while making sure that the safety, quality, and other elements required by patients are addressed accordingly.
References
Buppert, C. (2017). Nurse practitioner’s business practice and legal guide (6th edition). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Cooke, C. (2016). Relationship-Cantered care and nurse practitioners. Society for Participatory Medicine. Web.
Guerra, S. S., & Zabalegui, A. (2016). Role delineation study of advanced practice nursing, a cross-sectional study of practice domains and trends in role functions. International Journal of Integrated Care, 16(6), pp. 1-8. Web.