Promoting advanced practice nursing.

Abstract

Meeting the goals of a reformed health care system requires the expertise of professionals, especially those with specialized knowledge and skills. In the restructured health care system, nurses prepared for advanced practice are considered to be unique and valuable providers. The effectiveness of advanced practice nurses is well documented. The use of advanced practice nurses to provide care has been limited by restrictions on their scope of practice, prescriptive authority, clinical privileging, and eligibility for reimbursement. Gaining clarity about the roles that advanced practice nurses will fulfill in the future, standardizing specialists' preparation, and removing practice barriers is imperative if advanced practice nurses are to realize their potential impact on the health care delivery system. This article discusses the current issues affecting advanced practice nurses, and provides visions of new roles for them in health care delivery.