Interview about the Core Competencies of an Advanced Nurse - Research Paper Example

APN Leader Interview Project Introduction The core objective of health care delivery is attainment of quick recovery from both physical and psychological ailments. Achievement of recovery in a health care system requires an interdisciplinary collaboration between the health care practitioners. The need for quality nursing care thus calls for advancement in the level of nursing education to influence the manner with which both leadership and delivery of nursing services are achieved (Cooperberg, Birkmeyer, & Litwin, 2009). In an attempt to understand the need for advancement in nursing practice, this paper will explore the competencies necessary for an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) through an interview with Dr. Morris A. Magnan. Dr. Morris is an advanced practice nurse in the field of clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and the recipient of the clinical nurse specialist research award of the year 2009. The purpose of the interview would stimulate the interest of the student nurses as well as nurse practitioners on the significance of advanced nurse practitioner. The interview is equally purposed to pinpoint the influence nursing has on health sector delivery coupled with the necessity of research in nursing as a means of improvement in the standards of nursing care delivery. Through an interview with an advanced specialist in nursing, other upcoming nurses can learn through the experience and accumulation in knowledge of other fellow nurses (Varkey, Reller, & Resar, 2007). Nurse practitioner core competencies An interview held with Dr. Morris A. Magnan in his office at the college of nursing research center at Wayne state university revealed a composition of nine core competencies in advanced nurse practice that are important in his specialty as a clinical nurse specialty. Below is part of the documented interview that highlighted the significance of the core competencies in his specialty. (At 9:00am in Dr. Morris A. Magnan’s office in Wayne state university department of nursing sciences. The office is visibly organized with a couple of paperwork sorted in different trays on the table. On the wall hang three charts with the one behind Dr. Morris demonstrating mechanisms with which pressure sores can be prevented especially in the geriatric patients. Dr. Morris formally invites me to his office signifying the need to begin the interview.) Me: … I appreciate your acceptance to participate in this interview irrespective of your tight schedule. What would you say to be the future of nursing? Dr. Morris: Nursing is undeniably a significant profession in health care delivery. With the improvement in technology and changing in lifestyle, there is continuous diagnosis of new infections and conditions. The future of nursing will thus depend on the specialization into distinctive areas within the profession to advanced level. Following specialization, different nurses in different specialties can team together for effective provision of quality services. Me: Talking of advancement in nursing education and practice, would you please elaborate some of the core competencies that are possessed by an advanced nurse practitioner at a specialty level like in the clinical nurse specialist, with the contribution of the competency to the area of specialty. Dr. Morris: Well, an advanced practice nurse must acquire about nine core competencies. To start with are the scientific foundation competencies. Here a nurse must acquire the skills of critically analyzing data coupled with evidence for improvement in nursing practice. It calls for a nurse to engage in research work for improvement in clinical outcomes. Scientific foundation requires the ability to integrate knowledge from both humanities and sciences with the intention of holistically understanding the patient. After conducting research, a nurse should be able to translate the research findings and other knowledge forms for the improvement of practice process and outcome. For instance, knowledge, that failure to turn the patient in bed would result to bedsore, should prompt the use of a turning chart. Additionally, a nurse must be able to develop new approaches in practice that are integrated with research for the improvement in clinical outcome and shortening hospitalization. Second are the leadership competencies. A nurse as a leader should be able to assume advanced roles in leadership through appropriate decision-makings that are capable of instigating viable change. Through his/her leadership role, a nurse should be able to forge for interdisciplinary collaboration that is vital for effective clinical treatment. Through critical and creative thinking, a nurse as a leader in the clinical practice must advocate the patients and the staffs rights (Fagerström & Glasberg, 2011). Third is the quality competency. Here, the clinical nurse practitioner strives for continuous improvement in quality through application of new skills to the practice (Pulcini, 2010). For the competency of quality to be achieved, a nurse must be able to relate the health care condition and the health care outcome. This is attainable through application of skills in peer review and promotion of culture of excellence. Fourth is the practice inquiry competency. This competency integrates knowledge and the outcome of the patient. Acquisition of practice inquiry competency would enable a nurse to translate new knowledge into practice. Through partnership with other within the profession, a nurse applies the competency to improve the health outcome. Technology and information literacy competency is another that involves integration of appropriate technology for improvement of clinical health care. Technical and scientific health information must thus be integrated for holistic visualization of the patient’s condition. The competency allows the nurse to contribute to the promotion of quality, safety and affordability in health care system. Policy competencies enable a clinical specialist nurse to relate the interdependency between policy and practice. The competency enables a nurse to be at the forefront of advocating the adoption of appropriate ethical, developmental, and health policies that would be crucial both to the staff and the patient. Seventh is health delivery system competency. Following acquisition of this competence, a clinical specialist nurse will be able to apply organization practice knowledge to the improvement in health care delivery. Through application of skills like negotiation, building of consensus and partnership, a clinical specialist nurse can effect changes in health care. An ethics competency is another that is integral for a clinical specialist nurse. The competency enables a nurse to integrate ethical principles into decision-making and evaluate ethical implications in decision-making. It thus allows for application of ethically sound interventions to problems. The Last is independent practice competency. After fulfilling all the training requirements and attainment of the mentioned eight competencies, a nurse is licensed as an independent practitioner with authority to practitioner globally. Nevertheless, maintenance of a license requires the nurse to observe high levels of accountability and professional practice through adherence to the code of conduct and ethical principles in nursing practice (NONPF, 2006). Me: Thank you so much for the elaboration of necessary competencies in advanced nurse practice and their relation to clinical nurse specialist (CNS). I have a high belief that this contribution will be significant in highlighting the need for specialization and advancement in nursing. Dr. Morris: I equally appreciate thanks too. Description of the APN Leader Interviewed Dr. Morris A. Magnan is a registered nurse with a specialty in clinical nurse specialist (CNS). He worked as an assistant professor at Oakland University school of nursing. Equally, he has been a board member of the ethics committee at Karmanos cancer institute as well as at the center for nursing advocacy. The contribution of Dr. Morris in the field of health has been immensely through research work in the clinical area reputable among them being the identification of effective ways of predicting the chances of a patient contracting pressure sores. Through his contribution, Dr. Morris was awarded the best clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in the year 2009. The choice of Dr. Morris for this interview has been on grounds for his contribution in research in areas that are critical to nursing care and his peer appraisal that revealed that he is a motivation to the core workers. Conclusion The significance of nursing education is manifested through the importance of the necessary competencies that a qualified nurse at a basic practice level should attain. An interview with Dr. Morris reveals the significance of these competencies in a specialized level in a nursing career. Development of nurses to advanced level is thus important for the provision of an all-round quality nursing services through integration of research and ethical principles to the nursing practice (Wong et al., 2010). References Cooperberg, M. R., Birkmeyer, J. D., & Litwin, M. S. (2009). Defining high quality health care. Urologic Oncology, 27, 411–6. 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