Case Study: Should Nurse Practitioners Prescribe Controlled Substances

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SHOULD NURSE PRACTITIONERS PRESCRIBE CONTROLLED

Should Nurse Practitioners Prescribe Controlled Substances?
Nakeya Booth
Central Methodist University
Business Concepts
AH 330
Paul Compley, Ph.D.
December 13, 2009

Should Nurse Practitioners Prescribe Controlled Substances? The role of the Nurse Practitioner, also known as the advanced practice nurse, is to provide health care services to patients, families, and communities. They are specially trained to diagnose, and are able to control the common, chronic and acute heath care conditions. The practitioner can either work with the physician or choose to work alone to provide their health care services. They act as clinicians, leaders, researchers, educators, Managers, and
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Some physicians feel that nurse practitioners are not specifically educated on appropriate prescriptive medications. Physicians complete 4 years of undergraduate and 4 years of medical school. After medical school they then have to go for a minimum of 6 years for their specialty. APN’s will complete their bachelor’s degree and then 2-3 years of graduate school. “Paralegals assist attorneys they don’t practice law. Why should APN’s be allowed to practice medicine?” (Smith 1999). Another problem is a result of a history of rivalry between physician and nursing. There is a lack of appreciation by the physicians of the nursing approach to healing and that the nursing role has extended from being the “traditional nurse”. Not all physicians back nurse practitioners prescribing controlled substances nor do they have confidence or respect in their knowledge…show more content…
The barrier to expand prescriptive authority in Missouri continues to exist. Nurse practitioners must continue to battle through these barriers by educating, being active in their organizations and by being involved in the legislative field. A nurse practitioner has the knowledge and capabilities to manage all medical aliments, treat them, diagnosis them, and give pharmacologic management, as long as it is not a controlled substance. The incapability of nurse practitioners to prescribe controlled substances negatively affects their patients. This results in a decreased quality of care and autonomy towards to the patient. The nurse practitioner must understand that their contribution to their patient is too important and that they must be persistent in attaining their

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