Please provide a response to the Professor’s question below following her reading my post. Reference within 5 years. The state in question is Florida.
*What are the policies in your state (FLORIDA) for NPs to get their DNP? Is it mandated?
JUST AS A REFERENCE I’M INCLUDING MY POST BELOW:
Scope of Practice and Patient’s Healthcare Accessibility
Level of Independence of Practice
In Florida, NPs work under restricted model to imply that an NP must practice under supervision or even under the employment of a physician. This collaborative practice agreement determines the level of practice that the NP can undertake, and includes the feature of the physician being on standby. This supervisory structure limits the independence of NPs and may entail creating a contract that defines rules of procedure concerning practice tasks, diagnostics, treatments, and prescriptions.
Standardized Procedure Guidelines
In Florida, The Standardized Procedure Guidelines (SPGs) used in practicing this profession are jointly prepared by the supervising physician and the NP. These guidelines are based on the type of practice setting and the area of specialization of the NP. These documents describe the patterns of care and practice involving patients as well as the tasks and activities that the NP can do under a doctor’s orders (Cassidy et al., 2021). For instance, if an SPG addresses patient care to clients with long-term diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes, it will contain information on tests for the disease, administration of prescribed drugs, and further steps.
Prescribing Authority
Florida NPs have limited independence in prescriptive authority and can prescribe some medications, including controlled substances, provided they are supervised by a collaborating medical doctor (Zhang & Patel, 2023). NPs who wish to prescribe controlled substances must first obtain a DEA number and must adhere to state and federal laws. This collaboration agreement typically outlines the sort of medications the NP can order and under what circumstances, thus adding another layer of oversight to the prescription process.
Limitations of Practice
Some of the practice limitations of NPs in Florida include the requirement that they practice under the supervision of a physician. These restrictions can reduce the range of services that NPs can independently perform and may involve a physician directly or indirectly for some medical activities (Plemmons et al., 2022). These restrictions can restrict the ability of NPs to meet patients’ needs, solve the problem adequately, and work in organizations where physicians cannot talk to them.
Process for Obtaining Licensure in Florida
To become a licensed NP in Florida, one has to complete a graduate-level degree from an NP program accredited by a nursing education accrediting agency. They are then expected to attain national certification in the specialty of practice from a professional body such as ANCC or AANP. The application involves completing an application form with fields for contact details, education, national certification, and criminal background check, which the candidate must attach a copy of and submit to the Florida Board of Nursing.
Certification and Education Requirements for Licensure
The Florida state laws regulate the requirements for NP licensure and state that every NP must have a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from an accredited program. Furthermore, they are required to undergo national certification on the area of specialization through a certified certification body. One of the regulatory policies is continuing education as mandated by the Florida Board of Nursing, which the NPs need to fulfill to retain their licenses; this involves general nursing education and education related to the specialty area. Such requirements help to guarantee that NPs are up to date with the latest knowledge and competencies in their specialty area.
How the Patient Care Been Impacted By Restrictions in Florida
Currently practicing in Florida, a state that has a limited scope of practice for NPs, has influenced patient care in my community. Due to the provision that requires NPs to work under a collaborative agreement with a supervising physician, the following challenges have emerged. One of the effects that has been observed is the use of EDs for primary health services. Because it is difficult to access primary care physicians in some areas, especially in rural and underdeveloped areas, patients seek treatment in EDs for mild conditions. This reality leads to overcrowded emergency departments with long waiting times and thus prolongs the time it takes to attend to patients with real emergencies.
Furthermore, while there are urgent care clinics, the efficiency of these clinics is also limited by these factors because NPs practicing in these clinics still require medical direction for many of their clinical actions (Wang et al., 2023). This supervisory requirement can reduce the clinic’s operating hours and the range of services that can be delivered autonomously. Thus, access to primary care is limited, and patients receive their treatment later, have worse conditions, and spend more on healthcare because they have to rely on more expensive services, such as emergency care. It also increases healthcare inequalities because patients from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups struggle to access quality care when the practice setting is limited. This would mean that if NPs were allowed to practice independently, there would be an increase in the number of primary care providers in the community, hence decreasing the congestion in EDs and increasing access to care.
How Access To NPs Impact Access to Care
Healthcare disparities can be notably affected by the availability of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) because of the access to healthcare services that they provide, especially to marginalized communities. These include rural areas and inner city areas, considering the fact that NPs practice where there are few doctors. This makes a point about their role in closing the gap in healthcare needs since they are able to offer numerous services such as health checks, long-term illness treatment, and education (Xue et al., 2023). Because of their ability to provide culturally appropriate care for clients and meet the needs of diverse populations, NPs greatly help eliminate inequalities in health. In the same way, NPs practice in interprofessional teams and engage appropriate community resources to support patients in addressing their health disparities.
