NURS 6003 Week10 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties
Discussion – Week 10
NURS 6003
Examining Nursing Specialties
You have probably seen one or more of the many inspirational posters about decisions. A visual such as a forked road or a street sign is typically pictured, along with a quote designed to inspire.
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Decisions are often not so easily inspired. Perhaps you discovered this when choosing a specialty within the MSN program. This decision is a critical part of your plan for success, and you no doubt want to get it right. This is yet another area where your network can help, as well as other sources of information that can help you make an informed choice.
| Note: Unless otherwise noted, initial postings to Discussions are due on or before Day 3, and response postings are due on or before Day 6. You are required to participate in the Discussion on at least three different days (a different day for main post and each response). It is important to adhere to the weekly time frame to allow others ample time to respond to your posting. In addition, you are expected to respond to questions directed toward your own initial posting in a timely manner. |
To Prepare:
- Reflect on your decision to pursue a specialty within the MSN program, including your professional and academic goals as they relate to your program/specialization.
By Day 3 of Week 10
Post an explanation of your choice of a nursing specialty within the program. Describe any difficulties you had (or are having) in making your choice, and the factors that drove/are driving your decision. Identify at least one professional organization affiliated with your chosen specialty and provide details on becoming a member.
By Day 6 of Week 10
Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ posts by sharing your thoughts on their specialty, supporting their choice or offering suggestions if they have yet to choose.
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.
11 months ago
Stephanie Kachin
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Main Post
For my program specialty, I have chosen the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care program. I have always worked as a staff nurse in the hospital throughout my entire nursing career. As a future Nurse Practitioner, I knew when choosing a path I wanted a specialty where I could continue to work in the hospital environment. In addition, hospitals see a need for more Acute Care Np’s to support continuity of care, as evidenced by the nurse’s ability to respond well to patients’ needs (Becker, Dechant, McNamara, Konick-McMahon, Noe, Thomas, & Fabrey, 2020).
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One factor that led me to this decision is that I enjoy working in acute care settings in general. I have a background in emergency nursing and currently work in Labor and Delivery. I like the fast-paced environment. We have a high pregnant population in my unit with acute problems like hypertension, preeclampsia, and diabetes. I like being able to help take care of these high-risk patients and help with their outcomes of care. The Covid-19 pandemic also made me want to become a nurse practitioner to provide more advanced care for patients. I want to better myself to continue to provide care for patients in more ways than I can now. I had difficulty deciding if I wanted to go the Family Nurse Practitioner route because I enjoy helping take care of newborns sometimes in Labor and Delivery. Ultimately what helped me decide between those two was knowing I wanted a path where I would more likely stay working in the hospital setting.
Studies have shown positive outcome improvements from acute care nurse practitioners over the past several decades. These include a decreased length of hospital stay, reduced adverse events, adequate optimizing of resources, and decreased ICU readmission (Kapu, 2021). An organization affiliated with my chosen specialty is the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Once a person joins the organization, they can select under my communities and join a group related to their specialty like Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2014). Interested nurses can simply go to the website aanp.org and click an online join link to join. Students can also join with a reduced fee ( American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2014). Benefits listed include being able to participate in online forums and discussions and to be able to share knowledge with fellow NP’s.
In conclusion, all the NP specialty programs play an essential part in promoting positive patient outcomes and improving a healthy population. I look forward to collaborating with nurses in various specialties throughout my career.
References
American Association of Nurse Practicioners (2014). Retrieved from https://aanp.org
Becker, D., Dechant, L., McNamara, L., Konick-McMahon, J., Noe, C., Thomas, K., & Fabrey, L. (2020). Practice Analysis: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist. American Journal of Critical Care, 29(2), 19-30, https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc.202918
Kapu, A. (2021). Origin and Outcomes of Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 51(1), 4-5,https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.00000000000957
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10 months ago
Teresa Woody
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Main Post
Response:
Hello, Stephanie,
I also had difficulty choosing between Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP). After doing more research on both programs, I’ve tentatively decided to stay with the FNP program. I enjoy a smaller clinic setting rather than a hospital setting. Since FNPs typically work in physicians’ offices and community health clinics, the working hours are typically more traditional 9-to-5 business hours (nursingprocess.org, 2021). These hours are more conducive to my current lifestyle as a mom to 4 children. You stated you like the fast-paced environment, while I prefer the more controlled environment. I still look forward to hearing feedback from our fellow colleagues on these ideas.
Like you, I also chose the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) as an organization that is useful to my specific program. It offers free continuing education, practice and career support to build your professional network, state and federal advocacy, free on-line monthly subscriptions to scholarly, peer-reviewed journals to stay up-to-date on the newest nursing information, discounts on practice tools, insurance, office supplies, travel, and more (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2021). We can even join as students at a discounted rate to get a head-start on receiving essential support to our nurse practitioner program.
References
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2021). AANP Member Benefits. https://www.aanp.org/membership/member-benefits
NursingProcess.org. (2021). FNP vs. ACNP-15 Key Differences Between FNP and ACNP. Retrieved December 29, 2021 from, https://www.nursingprocess.org/fnp-vs-acnp.html
9 months ago
Crystal Lewis WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Main Post
9 months ago
Stephanie Kachin
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Main Post
Hi Dr. Lewis,
The American Association of Nurse Practicioners signifies multiple things to me. The association significies resources that are essential for the professional nurse practicioner like continuing education, professional connections and relationship building, and career development (American Association of Nurse Practicioners, 2022). The mission of the association alone signifies how important it is for nurses as a profession. The American Association of Nurse Practicioners defines there mission as empowering Nurse Practicioners to advance their careers through research and improving practice through quality care improvements and education (American Association of Nurse Practicioners, 2022). This mission shows how important this association is for nurses like me and nurses around the world. I do think sharing a membership like this on a resume would be beneficial because it shows potential employers your dedication to the field.
Reference
American Association of Nurse Practicioners (2022). Why Join AANP? Retrieved from https://www.aanp.org/membership/why-join.
9 months ago
Susan Bencomo
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Main Post
Excellent post, Stephanie! I find your post insightful on the explanation of your nursing specialty choice with the MSN program and the challenges experienced in making the choice. According to Becker et al. (2020), the role of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse entails providing advanced nursing care to elderly, older adult, and adult patients with critical, chronic, and acute conditions. This career provides ample opportunities for professional development and education, workdays, and autonomy that constantly present new challenges. I concur with your assertion that the nursing organization that fully supports this nursing specialty is American Nurses Association (ANA). Apart from offering support and growth opportunities, ANA is an ally and friend to over 4 million RNs in the U.S, across all practice settings and specialties (Coverage-Advocacy & Campaign (n.d.). Joining such an organization is the best decision one can give to his/her career.
References
Becker, D., Dechant, L. M., McNamara, L. J., Konick-McMahon, J., Noe, C. A., Thomas, K., & Fabrey, L. J. (2020). Practice analysis: adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist. American Journal of Critical Care, 29(2), e19-e30. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2020918
Coverage-Advocacy, I., & Campaign, O. (n.d.). The American Nurses Association. Retrieved from https://dev.nursingworld.org/~495ff4/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/health-policy/2018-open-enrollment-final-report-03202018.pdf
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11 months ago
Teresa Woody
RE: Discussion – Week 10
Main Discussion Post:
Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties
Teresa LeeAnn Woody
Department of Nursing, Walden University
NURS 6003C: Transition to Graduate Study
Dr. Crystal Lewis
December 24, 2021
Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties
For my specialty within the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program, I chose the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program. I have been a nurse for more than 22 years and the majority of my nursing career has been working in the field of dialysis. I know that when I graduate from the program, I would like to work in a nephrology office to care for renal patients. A nephrology nurse practitioner provides primary care to patients with acute or chronic kidney disorders, those undergoing dialysis, those who are candidates for or have had kidney transplants (“Nephrology Nurse Practitioner,” n.d.).
I spoke with my student success advisor to make sure I was making the right choice for my career preference. She suggested networking with someone in my field of interest. After networking with a nurse practitioner in the field of nephrology, I am now reconsidering my decision to pursue the FNP program. She is certified in the specialty of Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) and cares for patients in the nephrology office along with hospitalized patients from the practice. While FNPs often work in a primary care setting, AGACNPs are typically more specialized, work in acute care, and manage chronic conditions in adult patients (“FNP vs. AGACNP,” n.d.). My student success advisor ensured me that I have several months before I make my final decision, since the programs follow the same path up until the clinical rotations. I look forward to hearing feedback from other colleagues to help me make my final decision.
One professional organization that encompasses all nurse practitioners is The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). AANP makes it easy to join by simply clicking the membership link and paying the associated fee to join. AANP offers free continuing education, practice and career support to build your professional network, state and federal advocacy, free online monthly subscriptions to scholarly, peer-reviewed journals to stay up-to-date on the newest nursing information, discounts on practice tools, insurance, office supplies, travel, and more (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2021). Nurse practitioner students can even join at a discounted fee. Joining professional organizations offer essential support so that NPs can best support their patients.
References
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2021). AANP Member Benefits. https://www.aanp.org/membership/member-benefits
“FNP vs. AGACNP: Which Nurse Practitioner Career Should I Pursue.” (n.d.) Hawaii Pacific University. https://online.hpu.edu/blog/fnp-vs-agacnp/
“Nephrology Nurse Practitioner.” (n.d.) Daily Nurse: The Pulse of Nursing. https://dailynurse.com/nephrology-nurse-practitioner/
10 months ago
Stephanie Kachin
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Response 1-Teresa
Hi Teresa,
The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialty is a good choice. One good reason is to help with the projected shortage of primary care doctors, which may start as soon as 2025 (Finneran & Kreye, 2021). Family Nurse Practitioners will help fill this role and will help by providing high-quality care to patients by improving patient outcomes (Finneran & Kreye, 2021). Another benefit of the Family Nurse Practitioner is has more working options outside of the hospital. The FNP can work in diverse settings and even serve the under-served and rural populations ( Owen, 2019). I agree that this specialty will benefit from having more flexible working hours. I enjoyed reading your post.
References
Finneran, J. & Kreye, J. (2021). Empowering the Novice Family Nurse Practitioner: Promoting Readiness Through Immersion in an Innovative Educational Strategy. Journal of American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 33(5), 383-390, https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000336
Owens, R. (2019). Nurse Practitioner Role Transition and Identity Development in Rural Health Care Settings: A Scoping Review. Nursing Education Perspectives, 40(3), 157-161,https://doi.org/01.NEP.00000000000455
10 months ago
Teresa Woody
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Response 1-Teresa
Response:
Hello, Stephanie,
Thank you for your input on my decision of staying with the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program or pursuing the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. I agree with you that the FNP program offers more working options outside of working in a hospital. And also because of the flexible working hours, I believe I will stay in the FNP program.
9 months ago
Jamie Shoemaker
RE: Discussion – Week 10-reply 2
Hi Teresa!
Thanks for sharing! Nephrology has always been my weakness. I currently run CRRT at my current burn center and it has taken me months to feel comfortable with setting it up and running it by myself. Nursing can benefit from more nephrology nurses (Writers, 2022a). I know I would have loved to have an educator help me learn this machine. In Memphis where I practice, you can find a dialysis clinic within every other third mile. The kidney failure rates for the Memphis population are intimidating. At Regional One, we struggle with keeping up with the dialysis that is needed for the population and must outsource from other facilities. Our burn center only has a total of six CRRT machines unless we borrow them. So, it can be overwhelming at times. You can do nephrology with both FNP and Acute Care, but I recently got told at my facility that they no longer wanted family nurse practitioners for acute care settings in the facility. Which is appalling considering the shortage we have right now. I cannot speak about all facilities but ours is going to be making that change by 2025, or so I have heard (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2021). They cannot really be fussy considering we are losing more every day. I chose acute care nurse practitioner because it gives me access to a lot of different areas. I also want to focus on shock/trauma or burn in my facility. I believe whatever choice you go with will take you to nephrology either way. Family nurse practitioners offer an umbrella of knowledge for many different disease processes. This will always give family nurse practitioners a leg up on all the other fields in my own opinion.
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Resources
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2021). AANP Member Benefits. https://www.aanp.org/membership/member-benefits
Writers, S. (2022b, January 25). Dialysis Nurse Career Overview | Nursejournal.org. NurseJournal. https://nursejournal.org/careers/dialysis-nurse/
9 months ago
Teresa Woody
RE: Discussion – Week 10-reply 2
Response:
Hello, Jamie! Thank you for your response to my discussion post. I commend you for performing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CCRT) at your current burn center. “Aggressive application of CRRT in severely burned casualties with kidney injury significantly improves survival” (Chung et al., 2008). I have many years of experience in different areas of nephrology, but CCRT is one thing I have never performed. I am more interested in working in a nephrology clinic than a hospital setting, so I believe the Family Nurse Practitioner program will be beneficial to me in that aspect. I also believe my experience in the field will give me an advantage in finding a job in nephrology once I graduate from the program. Once I have at least 2 years experience as a nurse practitioner in nephrology, I can certify with the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC) which will show I am willing to go the extra mile to better serve my patients (NNCC, 2022). Certification in our specialty field shows dedication and greatly enhances our portfolio.
References
Chung, K. , Juncos, L., Wolf, S.., Mann, E., Renz, E., White, C., Barillo, D., Clark, R., Jones, J., Edgecombe, H., Park, M., Albrecht, M., Cancio, L., Wade, C., & Holcomb, J. (2008). Continuous renal replacement therapy improves survival in severely burned military casualties with acute kidney injury. The Journal of Trauma, 64(2 Suppl), S179–S187. https://doi.org/10.1097/TA.0b013e3181608676
Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC). (2022). For nurse practitioners in nephrology practice. https://www.nncc-exam.org/certification/cnn-np
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9 months ago
Crystal Lewis WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER
RE: Discussion – Week 10
Hi, Teresa,
Do you plan to utilize your affiliation with this association to look for new employment? You may wish to view the association’s career center for openings, advice, and opportunities.
Excellent post!
Dr. Lewis
9 months ago
Teresa Woody
RE: Discussion – Week 10
Response:
Hello, Dr. Lewis! Thank you for your response to my post. To answer your question, yes I will use my membership with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) to look for new employment. They offer job alerts that notify you by email of jobs posted that match your search preferences, and also give you the option to upload your resume so the right employer can find you (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2022).They also offer resources to help you make your resume stand out, do well in interviews, and advance your career (AANP, 2022). ” The AANP Job Center contains one of the largest source of nurse practitioner jobs in the nation with access to more than 118k+ AANP members” (AANP, 2021). Nurse practitioners can go to the AANP website to find the best jobs, and employers can find the highest quality talent. Utilizing the AANP membership is an excellent way to look for new employment.
Resources:
American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). (2022). AANP Job Center. https://jobcenter.aanp.org/
9 months ago
Quenia Alfrenard
RE: Discussion – Week 10
Teresa,
Thank you for your post. Deciding what discipline to purse is definitely a hard one to make and networking with people can help take away some of the uncertainty away. It takes a lot of process of elimination and thinking about what you can see yourself doing long term, what you enjoy doing the most and what environment you would enjoy being in like even now s a nurse. Nurse Practitioners no matter the course we decide to go on are beneficial to all those in the population. ” In early 2010, having reviewed the literature regarding NPs, Bauer concluded that there is extensive and consistent evidence that NPs provide care of equal or better quality at a lower cost than comparable services provided by others. ” (American Association of Nurse Practitioners , 2013). Whatever direction you go I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.
Reference(s):
American Association of Nurse Practitioners . (2013). Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/advocacy-resource/position-statements/nurse-practitioners-in-primary-care
Martin-Misener,, Ruth (2015). Cost-effectiveness of nurse practitioners in primary and specialised ambulatory care: systematic review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4466759/
9 months ago
Rex Boyson Olpoc
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Response 1
Hi Teresa!
Thanks for sharing. I understand your dilemma as regards choosing whether FNP or AGACNP, but given your years of experience, most of it being in the dialysis unit, I believe it is best to pursue the AGACNP. Adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioners render services that include critical care to stabilize the condition of patients, avoid complications, and recuperate fully if possible (Adult-Gerontology NP Competencies Work Group, 2016). As you have mentioned above, it is not yet late to change specialization. I am sure that your student success advisor will help you with that.
On another note, signing up to be a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is a wise decision. The AANP offers six types of membership which include student membership; this type of membership requires one to key in his or her school’s name and it has an annual fee of $55 (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, n.d.). This is an opportunity for NP students to expand their professional network and have access to educational resources like the free subscription to NP journals.
I wish you all the best in your academic endeavor, Teresa.
References
Adult-Gerontology NP Competencies Work Group. (2016). Adult-gerontology acute care and primary care NP competencies. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/competencies/NP_Adult_Geri_competencies_4.pdf
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (n.d.). Membership. https://www.aanp.org/membership
9 months ago
Susan Bencomo
RE: Discussion – Week 10
Great post, Teresa! I find your post insightful on the explanation of your nursing specialty choice with the MSN program, the challenges experienced in making the choice, and the nursing organization that supports the chosen nursing field. The FNP specialty emphasizes the primary care of pregnant and postpartum females, newborns, children, teenagers, adults, and older adults in the context of family-focused care (Balestra 2019). The specialty is attractive to several advanced practice nurses because it involves deep engagement with patients, with a focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle across the lifespan. I concur with your assertion that one professional organization that encompasses all nurse practitioners is the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). According to Kleinpell, Cook & Padden (2018), this organization, which represents the interests of over 230,000 licensed NPs, is the only and largest full-service national professional association for nurse practitioners of all specialties.
References
Balestra, M. L. (2019). Family nurse practitioner scope of practice issues when treating patients with mental health issues. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 15(7), 479-482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2018.11.007
Kleinpell, R., Cook, M. L., & Padden, D. L. (2018). American Association of Nurse Practitioners National Nurse Practitioner sample survey: Update on acute care nurse practitioner practice. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(3), 140-149. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000030
9 months ago
Elizabeth Magloire
RE: Discussion – Week 10 Response 1
Hi Teresa,
I too plan on going into a field I am most familiar with. Majority of my nursing career has been in home health care and I plan on continuing with home health care as a NP. I happen to be speaking with an NP in my subdivision the other day. She is actually a DNP and a professor but she also has a home health business. She was very insightful and gave me some great advice. I’m glad she lives in my subdivision because I am positive will be knocking on her door throughout this journey.
APRNs have been making great strides in home heath and playing an increasingly visible role. The Institute of Medicine in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have recommended APRNs have a greater role as there has been a growing interest in home care (Institute of Medicine, 2022). Currently, MDs have to sign off on all home health care orders, but this may all change as Congress may pass the Home Health Care Improvement Act, which would allow APRNs more authority over signing home health care orders (Neal-Boylan et al., 2012). The passage of this act will have a positive impact on the future of home health care.
Neal-Boylan, L., Mager, D. R., & Kazer, M. W. (2012). Nurse Practitioners in Home Health Care: An Update. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 24(4), 193–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/1084822312436682
Institute of Medicine . The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. www.thefutureofnursing.org/IOM-Report. Accessed February 5, 2022.
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