APRN is a nurse who owns a master’s or a
post-masters degree in one of four specific roles. According to the BRN website guidelines, for one to become a certified APRN in Pennsylvania, they must have an active and unrestricted RN license issued by the state board of nursing. Since Pennsylvania is not a member of the nurse licensure compact, APRNs registered in other states can apply through endorsement (Bear, 2018). NPs in this state can diagnose medical conditions, develop and implement treatment procedures, order, and conduct diagnostic tests, and offer other medical services in collaboration with a licensed physician. Buppert writings focus on NP legal issues, especially on determining who has the authority to practice and what they are legally allowed to do as NPs. In her books, she addresses ways an NP can avoid charges of malpractice.
However, Pennsylvania has not adopted a FPA. Instead, it adopts a reduced practice authority, which has several restrictions. First, Pennsylvania practice and license laws limit the practitioner’s capacity to engage in at least one component of the nursing practice. The second restriction is that the state requires a collaborative agreement between the NP and a registered physician. Therefore, NPs in this state cannot act in their own accord. These required collaborative agreements prove to be the primary barrier for highly qualified NPs to practice in the state (Altman et al., 2016). In 2017, senator Bartolotta and state representative Jesse Topper introduced FPA campaigns. She later presented the bill to the Senate, which is still pending. The most effective way to advocate for APRNs is through campaigning for the removal of collaborative agreements that limit practice and care. This will widen the scope of coverage of individual NPs and reduce the shortage of healthcare professionals.