The Nursing Practice Act refers to a set of laws that states create to regulate nursing practice. The NPA focuses on regulating the scope and responsibilities of nurse practitioners. For instance, the policy stipulates what nurses should and should not do (Yang et al., 2021). The act provides the scope for various nursing levels, requirements of credentials, and license requirements. Furthermore, the NPA defines terms within the nursing practice (Yang et al., 2021). These practice sets ensure uniformity among nurses in each state and that nurses who attend to patients have the necessary competencies. Each state adopts unique NPA regulations based on its needs and systems. The policy aims to create a safe and consistent care level within the state. Under the NPA, nurse practitioners are scrutinized to ensure they have the required qualifications, competencies, and skills to guarantee safe patient care (Yang et al., 2021). Nurse competencies and qualifications are scrutinized as they begin practice and throughout their career. For instance, as health practitioners apply to join healthcare facilities, they must meet specific requirements and qualifications. The NPA regulations are essential in states because hiring unqualified or poorly trained practitioners leads to poor patient care and outcomes (Yang et al., 2021).
The NPA regulations affect the performance of the public health system in the United States. According to Barr (2023), nursing practice significantly affects public health. For example, nurses educate patients and promote health to improve public health. The NPA regulations ensure the employment and retention of qualified and competent nurses who can effectively care for patients, participate in health promotion, and contribute to public health initiatives. The NPA cushions populations from poor health outcomes by regulating the type of care and medical attention patients get.
Furthermore, the absorption of qualified nurses boosts disease prevention efforts because nurses are crucial in educating the masses on avoiding contracting diseases. The NPA policy differs in varied states because states independently drive their healthcare activities. The regulations created by the NPA are updated annually to embrace industry changes and accommodate evidence-based practice. Furthermore, the NPA offers registered nurses a credentialing process for the scope of practice and practice standards.
One of the aspects that the NPA impacts is the regulation of the scope of practice of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). The roles of APRNs are health promotion, disease prevention, and disease management (Schorn et al., 2022). The NPA stimulates the roles that APRNs can play and to which extent. Although APRNs have a broad scope of knowledge and skills, the NPA of some states is limited in what they can do. For instance, states that lack full authority to practice limit APRNs’ roles even if they have the required competencies and qualifications (Schorn et al., 2022). Such restrictions negatively affect public health because they hinder APRNs from exercising their competencies to the fullest and obstruct providing quality services to patients (Schorn et al., 2022). For instance, when APRNs’ practice is restricted, they cannot perform to their full scope and cannot undertake some of the acts for which they are trained. On the other hand, states that embrace full authority to practice have a better chance of achieving better public health outcomes because APRNs have more independence and can perform more roles related to patient care.
The United States has been grappling with the shortage of physicians in the recent past. The low number of physicians about the number of Americans has created issues in public health (Kleinpell et al., 2023). The physician shortage issue is aggravated by the barriers APRNs face regarding the restrictions to their functions. With the number of physicians being low and APRNs needing full authority, the United States faces challenges in preventing diseases, managing diseases, and promoting health (Kleinpell et al., 2023). Physicians play an essential role in public health because they lead programs like vaccination, health screenings, and campaigns for modifying lifestyles. They undertake proactive measures to combat preventable illnesses. The outbreak of health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of the public health sector in the United States. Healthcare practitioners were overwhelmed by the pandemic because of shortage, a problem that could be eased by reducing APRN’s barriers and restrictions (Kleinpell et al., 2023).
I am opposed to the states whose NPA prohibits independent APRN practice. States should avoid putting many restrictions on APRNs, such that they cannot perform their competent duties. The NPA policy is suitable to safeguard the health and well-being of the public. However, there is a need for states that still need to embrace full authority for APRNs to change their stance. With the number of physicians being low compared to the patients or population, APRNs need to be allowed to practice independently (Kleinpell et al., 2023). The full authority will comprise doing away with barriers that restrict APRNs from executing roles in which they are competent. Adopting full authority will enhance public health practice because APRNs will support physicians and advance the fight against disease outbreaks (Kleinpell et al., 2023).
The nursing boards of states that have not embraced full or independent APRN practice should agitate for a change. Nursing boards understand the impact of the barriers that APRNs face. For instance, they understand that restricting the scope of APRNs’ practice hinders achieving better population health. Healthcare facilities should be helped to understand the importance of allowing APRNs to be independent because they can support physicians (Kleinpell et al., 2023). With the APRNs being competent practitioners, their public health contribution will be significant. APRNs should be empowered to attain their full potential in practice because they have the potential to help populations prevent diseases and manage existing diseases (Kleinpell et al., 2023). Although states can influence their health practices, they should consider the impact that some of their policies create. They need to reconsider their stance on the APRNs practice restrictions and make changes to guarantee Americans the best health outcomes.
States’ adoption of full APRN practice will profoundly impact the United States’ public health. Giving APRNs full authority to exercise their competencies will allow them to offer their services ideally. For instance, they can do whatever it takes to prevent diseases and promote health. Additionally, APRNs will back up and assist physicians. Having physicians and APRNs execute their roles will benefit the public because physicians will be able to handle the services they provide. For example, APRNs’ full practice authority will boost patient care access. Improved access to care is essential for public health because it allows more patients to benefit from healthcare services (Kleinpell et al., 2023). Furthermore, full practice authority by nurses assists in lowering healthcare costs. Lower healthcare costs boost public health by improving access to healthcare services (Kleinpell et al., 2023).
Conclusion
The Nursing Practice Act is important in enhancing patient safety and health. This act focuses on ensuring that nurses perform the duties stipulated by the law. For example, the act ensures that nurses have the necessary competencies when joining the practice and in the course of their careers. The NPA regulations impact public health because they aim to prevent patients from receiving care from inexperienced and incompetent nurses. The NPA regulations of some states create limitations on the roles that APRNs can undertake. Such states prohibit APRNs from executing some duties regardless of their competencies. Such restrictions prevent APRNs from exploiting their competencies. This limitation becomes a significant problem when linked to the issue of physician shortage. I believe state NPA regulations should give APRNs independence to practice. Giving them full authority will promote public health because they will play the role of protecting the masses. Furthermore, allowing APRNs to practice independently will support currently few physicians.