In this assignment I need a peer response for the main discussion, that show below.

The peer’s responses

Discussion Grading Criteria: Agreeing and disagreeing do not mean just voicing one’s opinion. The focus of the discussions should remain on the ideas posed in the readings. Agreeing and disagreeing mean making scholarly arguments from the literature that may support your own ideas. Faculty expects you to support your ideas from the readings or similar scholarly writing about the topic in nursing literature. Always cite your source(s) and reference in APA format.

Remember the post and responses should include scholarly writing about the topic in nursing literature.

Note por the professor:

Hello class,

Please refer to your APA format in your postings. The journal name and volume is italicized font. Ex.

…The American Nursing Journal,7(9),,,,

Please update your APA to reflect doi 

Thalia T. Ayra

Advanced Nursing Practice

From above identify three challenges the Advanced Nurse Practitioner  encounter in their Scope of practice (SOP), include them on this week first peer response due.

Scope of practice (SOP) is a cornerstone for professional regulation used by nurse practitioner (NP) licensing boards across the country, usually a state’s Board of Nursing (BON). This concept defines the procedures, actions, and processes that NPs can perform as part of their professional licensure. Regulations are handled by each state and can vary from state to state.

By definition, the SOP for family NPs (FNPs) is broad, with FNPs caring for a wide spectrum of patients (from pediatrics to geriatrics) and domains (private practices to hospital clinics and other outpatient settings, both urban and rural). In some rural or remote settings, FNPs may be the only health care provider available to patients.

The SOP for FNPs could include providing mental health care services, and FNPs in primary care settings often are the first to see patients with common mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. In fact, FNPs are increasingly providing mental health care as demand from patients has increased. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States suffers from a mental illness (44.7 million in 2016). Among adolescents, an estimated 49.5% of young people aged 13 to 18 have had a mental disorder.

Among mental illnesses, major depression is common, with approximately 16.2 million adults (6.7% of all US adults) having had at least 1 major depressive episode. Anxiety disorders also greatly affect US adults, with more than 31% having had an anxiety disorder sometime in their lives. Furthermore, this increase in patient demand has been exacerbated in recent years by a growing shortage of mental health care practitioners, including psychiatrists, whose numbers declined by 10% from 2003 to 2013.7

Although a legal or regulatory concept, the importance of SOP cannot be overstated. FNPs need to be familiar with their state’s SOP to ensure patient safety as well as to protect their professional license, because acting outside of their recognized SOP in any patient care setting could expose them to civil liability and disciplinary actions brought by their BON, with the potential of having their professional licenses revoked.8 This is especially true when treating patients with mental illness or working with behavioral health issues, where an FNP may be trained and have the skills to diagnosis and initially treat mental illness but may be restricted by his or her SOP on the breadth and depth of care permitted.

With that in mind, this article will outline several important SOP issues for FNPs working with patients with mental health issues and provide recommendations to help them ensure best practices and patient safety. The recommendations also will help them avoid blurring the boundaries delineated by their SOPs and protect their professional licenses.

References

American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Scope of Practice. https://www.aanp.org/images/documents/publications/scopeofpractice.pdf. Updated 2015. Accessed August 15, 2018.

Nurse Journal. Role & Scope of Practice of a Family Nurse Practitioner. https://nursejournal.org/family-practice/role-scope-of-practice-of-a-family-nurse-practitioner/

Date accessed: August 15, 2018