Nurse Consultant Associates

We help nursing schools with curriculum development and national accreditation preparation

Health Policy: A Professional Responsibility

July 7, 2018 by Deborah Vincent

By Dr. Barbara Sheer

Every aspect of our lives is influenced by policy. At the workplace there are policies and procedures to guide practice. Our daily lives are affected by policies at the local, state, national and international levels. Professional organizations including: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), American Nurses Association (ANA), National League for Nursing (NLN) and Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) have all endorsed policy as part of the professional role. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) in their report “The Future of Nursing Leading Change, Advancing Health” (2010), recognized the importance of nursing and called for nurses to take the leadership role in improving the quality of healthcare. In the “Presidential Call to Action 2015-2017, Influence on Advance Global Health and Nursing”, Cathy Catrambone PhD, RN, FAAN, called for expanding SSTI’s influence through advocacy, policy, philanthropy and lifelong learning. She encouraged all members to contribute leadership, scholarship and research expertise to advance health policy (1).

If nurses are in a pivotal position to effect policy change why are so few involved? Involvement in policy requires both knowledge and skill. These essential elements should be incorporated into all levels of nursing education from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. Nurses must learn about the issues, identify key stakeholders, and become advocates for healthcare.

Our national political landscape is changing every day. In response many women who have not previously been involved in politics are beginning political campaigns and running for office. More nurses than ever are running for political offices and local, state, and national levels. Local, regional and national nursing organizations provide additional opportunities for policy involvement.

Nursing students must get adequate content on policy making and advocacy and develop competencies in these areas before graduation. In addition to policy, graduate nursing curricula must include content on the fiscal context in which practice takes place and address the linkages of health policy, financing, and economics to quality patient outcomes.

Nurse Consultants Associates can provide nurses and educators the skills and knowledge needed for developing leadership in the area of health policy. NCA offers a wide range of services from curriculum consultation, to courses in health policy and workshops. Our associates have first-hand experience in changing health policy on the local, national, and international levels.

Catrambone, C, https://www.sigmanursing.org/docs/default-source/BOD-Documents/call-to-action-brochure-web-2.pdf?sfvrsn=2 (April 31,2018).

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: curriculum, education, health policy, nursing, policy, rules and regulations

NPs Around the World

June 23, 2018 by Deborah Vincent

Have you ever wondered about NP practice in other countries? The NP role around the world is diverse. Educational, regulatory requirements and scope of practice vary by country. For example, nurse practitioners in New Zealand must have a minimum of four years of experience in a specific practice area and complete a clinical master’s degree, and register with the Nursing Council. New Zealand NPs have a broad scope of practice and have the same prescribing authority as medical doctors.1

In Taiwan, NP became the legal title for advanced practice nurses in 2000 but the scope of practice was not clearly defined until 2016. While the scope of practice is broad, physician supervision for some activities is required and NPs do not have independent prescriptive authority.2 However, the role of the NP in Taiwan is rapidly changing and expanding. As the population ages, more NPs are needed to care for the elderly.

In an article in the FAANP forum, Dr. Rosemary Goodyear describes the development and evolution of NPs in Taiwan and the new focus on developing Long Term Care programs. You can read about this at https://www.aanp.org/images/documents/FAANPForum/2018-6.pdf.

1. New Zealand Ministry of Health (2017) Nurse Practitioners in New Zealand https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/nursing/nurses-new-zealand/nurse-practitioners-new-zealand.

2. Chiu, H., Tsay, S.L., Tung, H.H. (2016). A giant leap in the development of nurse practitioners in Taiwan: from statue to regulation. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 28; 622-627.

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: global, international, nursing, rules and regulations

The Rules and Regulations Conundrum: Starting a new educational program for health personnel in the United States of America

May 22, 2018 by Deborah Vincent

By Dr. Rosemary Goodyear

Health care personnel in the USA require an education that assures the public that they are safe and competent providers of health care services. Each state in the nation has established rules and regulations (R&R) that guide institutions and educators in the content and process that will allow individuals, who successfully complete these programs, to become certified and/or sit for national licensure examinations. The legal authority that evokes and monitors these rules and regulations most frequently is the state board of nursing, board of education, public health authorities or a combination of these official bodies. Following successful completion of an educational program, public and/or private, each individual must attain a certificate or license to practice in that role, regardless of the work setting or title of the position fulfilled.

The R & R’s that assist programs in providing the necessary educational opportunities for interested individuals are available to the public, and can usually be accessed in an online format from the official bodies in each state. These are often published in a combination of the Nurse Practice Act, which identifies the requirements for practice in each specific state, and Articles or Standards that spell out the required administration, personnel, curriculum and steps in the process for educating the generalist nurse/registered nurse (RN) education. The academic level of education of the RN or Specialized Nurse is also included in these documents which may identify added preparation and levels of certification needed to practice in each state.

The following is a broad outline of a process to seek approval to begin a new educational program for health personnel such as (Certified Nurse Assistant – CNA; Licensed Vocational/Practical Nurse – LVN/LPN); Registered Nurse at ADN/BSN level); Certified Nurse Practitioner; Certified Nurse Midwife; Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist; or Clinical Nurse Specialist. A consistent part of each process is a time-line to be met, assistance and reviews by board staff, hearings of acceptable proposal by the board members and types of approval ratings.

General steps in seeking approval to begin a new educational program for health personnel:

  1. Submission of a Letter of Intent from institution (public/private) to official board regulating the health personnel to be prepared.
  2. Identification and history of the institution, need for a new program preparing this type of health personnel in the geographic area of the state, and fiscal support for a sustainable program.
  3. If not a degree granting institution, the affiliation with an institution of higher education, including the collaboration with affiliate administration and faculty.
  4. Connect and work with staff of official board regulating education of health personnel during the drafting of the proposal/self-study.
  5. Identification of qualified personnel to administer and teach in the educational program.
  6. Development of curriculum for preparing health personnel following requirements as set out in the regulations of the official R & R’s.
  7. Identification and acceptance for clinical placement of students by community health care facilities.
  8. Development of policies and documentation of admission, progression, completion and evaluation of educational program.

This is a brief outline for assisting institutions or agencies interested in starting a new educational health personnel program. The language of the R & R’s is often broad and enmeshed with legal terminology and perhaps not “user friendly” for people new to starting an educational program. This is where Nurse Consultant Associates can assist the developer of new health personnel programs. A useful website that can assist in the beginning search for your state board and the R & R’s is the National Council of State Board of Nursing www.ncsb.org

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: curriculum, education, nursing, rules and regulations

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  • Rosemary T. Goodyear, Ed.D., APRN, FAANP
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