3 Ways a CNS Can Influence Quality of Care

This article first appeared on HealthLeaders Media, June 21, 2016.

Physicians may balk at full-practice authority for APRNs, but medical doctors have more in common with Clinical Nurse Specialists than they realize.

By: Jennifer Thew, RN

When it comes to advanced practice nurses, what’s old is news again.

In May, the Department of Veterans Affairs proposed amending its medical regulations to permit full practice authority of all VA advanced practice registered nurses when they are acting within the scope of their VA employment.

And in keeping with recent history, the American Medical Association, the American Association of Anesthesiologists, and the American College of Radiology are against the proposal

The AMA asserts that “all patients deserve access to physician expertise, whether for primary care, chronic health management, anesthesia, or pain medicine,” and “physician-led team-based care results in improved access to high-quality, cost-effective health care.”

The ACR’s position is that allowing the VA’s APRNs to “practice independently of a physician’s clinical oversight, regardless of individual state law, could seriously undermine the quality of care that our nation’s heroes receive.”

The ASA calls the VA’s proposed policy change “untested and ill-advised for the Veterans population.”

What these statements overlook is that APRNs are not trying to take over physicians’ roles.

APRNs, and in particular, clinical nurse specialists, share some of the same goals as physicians, says Sharon Horner, RN, PhD, FAAN, president of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.

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