Role and Setting of the Nurse Practitioner

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Role and Setting of the Family Nurse Practitioner Role and Setting of the Family Nurse Practitioner What is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and what is that role in healthcare? The setting and role of the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) has yet to be clearly defined. The role of the FNP has been evolving for many years and continues to be source of debate between the medical community and Advanced Practice Nurses (APN). According to (Poronsky, 2013) this role is one that occurs over time as the Registered Nurse (RN) grows in experience and education. As the transition progresses it requires a change in the role from providing care to the patient to prescribing care. Poronsky (2013), describes this journey as both exciting and challenging for the nurse as they can struggle to adapt with this new defined role. The transition according to Poronsky (2013), takes place in two phases. Once the nurse enters into graduate school the first phase begins and is referred to as the learning phase. The second phase is known as the implementation phase and begins at graduation and can last up to two years. Once the nurse has settled into the role of the FNP there continues to be some debate as to what their responsibilities and services are. One suggestion from The New England Journal of Medicine (2013), was to classify the services of the FNP by relevance to evidence-based protocols. The Advance Practice Nurse (APN) should provide care or services from a protocol driven aspect. The services that were not driven by protocols would be handled by a physician. There has been, and continues to be much discussion regarding where the role of the FNP stops and the role of the physician begins. According to The New England Journal of Medicine (2013), usurpation of authority is something physicians struggle with. According to Commins (2012), The American Academy

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