APN Leader Interview Project - Assignment Example

APN Leader Interview Project Introduction The interview involves an Advanced Practice Nurse leader. An APN is an individual with a credible educational background with a doctorate or masters in nursing practice and is certified by the relevant medical body. The interview aims at getting a deeper understanding of the Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies and the manner in which they relate to the nursing fraternity. It also purposes to establish the relevant requirements and conditions that one needs to meet in order to become an APN leader. I engaged Janet Graham of the Ottawa Hospital in Canada in the interview. She could not find time to set up a meeting with me so the interview was done over the phone while writing down the responses. NONPF Core Competencies Leadership Competencies The APN should be able to act accordingly as a leader, coordinate activities in the nursing fraternity and make relevant changes coupled with providing guidance to junior employees. The APN should conduct the leadership in a way that attracts other partners and per takers in the field, for example, the society and the patients, they serve. The leadership basis should be on the ability to think reflectively and critically in a way that focuses on the future and addresses current problems. Advocating for improved healthcare in terms of cost effectiveness and quality is also a key aspect of competency. Finally, the APN should be able to advance effective communication on matters to do with the practice (Mirr & Zwygart-Stauffacher, 2010) Specific Foundation Competencies The Nursing practitioner should have the relevant knowledge of critical data analysis and in this way be able to improve the nursing practice. The nurse should also be able to incorporate scientific knowledge and the aspects of humanity in the course of the provision of nursing services. Finally, t integration of experimental results and formulated theories in the practice is important. Quality Competencies These reflect on the ability of the APN to deliver quality results in the practice. The APN should constantly be seeking ways of improving nursing services to raise the standards of service provision. He or she must also evaluate the relationship between the costs incurred in the course of practice and the quality of the output generated. Practice Inquiry Competencies The practitioner should be able to integrate successfully new practice methods into the field. From experience, the practitioner should also be able to improve various aspects of the practice that need improvement. Investigation and research is vital in the nursing industry, thus, ii is essential for an APN to have adequate investigative skills. Information Technology Literacy Competencies Technology is an important factor in every area of practice. The leader should be literate in the technological field for successfully application of relevant technology in management. A good leader should single out and familiarize with different technological applications for the various areas in the nursing fraternity. Policy Competencies An APN should be able to relate management policy formulation with the nursing practice. It is the responsibility of the leader to formulate policies in the health sector with the help of other professionals. The responsibility of championing for policies that concur with ethical practice in nursing lies with the APN leader. The leader should conduct proper analysis of the implications that formulated policies have in the health sector. This forms a good basis for decision-making (Dreher & Glasgow, 2011). Ethics Competencies Ethics refer to appropriate codes of conduct. The APN leaders and nurses should ensure that the decisions they make in the course of practice are ethical. When coming up with solutions to certain practice issues, ethics must be upheld. Independent Practice Competencies The APN must been approved and licensed by the relevant appointment body and certified as fit to conduct nursing operations. The leader or nurse should also be accountable for every decision they make. The practice should also be patient centered since the patient is the primary point of focus. Janet Graham From the interview of Janet Graham, I was able to establish a lot about her and her role as an APN leader. Mrs. Graham started her work at the Canadian Ottawa Hospital in 1985. She specializes in the care of patients with chronic kidney infections. She practices nursing for the Nephrology access Program at the hospital. Her response to the question as to what she has done with her leadership position was quite satisfactory. She says she has worked to establish a program in which the people in the region around the hospital can access Nephrology. The program manages matters concerning kidney dialysis and therapy involved in renal replacement for patients with such needs. The program also extends to other regions. According to her this is her major contribution in the field of nursing. According to Janet, her focus as an APN leader is on ensuring that kidney disease patients access a well maintained and timely treatment program. She further sites a number of strategies that she will use to achieve her goal. The first strategy is the establishment of an online platform for training nurses on nephrology. The other strategy is the formulation of effective parameters to govern research operations and quality assurance. Janet sites critical analysis and availability of information as one of the key aspects in her work. Appropriate and accurate data enable her to come up with better treatment programs for her patients. She sums up by stating that her chief goal is to formulate channels through which patients can easily access services in the field of nephrology. The interview was a successful venture and Janet was good at giving responses to all the questions I raised. Further Analysis of the APN Competencies Leadership Competencies A leader is required to take the initiative of formulating programs in the nursing field. My interviewee, Jane, is a leader in her own rights as he takes the initiative of developing the nephrology programs. Leadership competencies owe their origin to the management bodies of nursing institutions. APNs must display leadership competencies for example in program initialization (Hamric et al., 2014). Specific Foundation Competencies This is where the nursing knowledge is put to use. Such competencies must come from the APNs through critical analysis of information. During the interview, Janet Graham sites availability and analysis of information as a key component of her job as an APN. Therefore, specific foundation competencies are vital for APNs in the analysis of information relating to their work. Quality Competencies For any given official in any random field to be competent, the quality of work attributable to them must be high. For APNs, quality is an important aspect in their work. Provision of quality services to patients ensures their quick recovery. Janet, my interviewee, comes up with a program that ensures that treatment of kidney diseases in the Ottawa Hospital is of a high standard. Therefore, quality assurance is achieved. Policy Competencies Formulation of new policies and concepts can raise the standards of nursing services. Policies guide the processes in the work of APNs. Therefore, if they are able to come up with proper managerial policies, proper workflow is guaranteed. The APNs must also conform to organizational policies and other policies that govern the practice of nursing (Joel, 2013) Information Technology Literacy Competencies The medical world is making various advancements in information technology. It is paramount for medical officers to keep up with the ever growing. APNs require technology in the execution of their tasks for example for life support of critically ill patients. APNs must therefore be literate as information technology is concerned. Conclusion In conclusion, Advanced Practice Nurses are highly qualified medical practitioners. One requires very high standards of education and experience in order to receive a practicing license as an APN. A number of performance competencies do the governance of the activities of APN. This ensures that the nurses that make it to the APN level are competent and able to deliver high quality services. Meeting the APN competencies leads to the development of professional nurses who make necessary improvements in the field of medicine. References Top of Form Bottom of Form Dreher, H. M., & Glasgow, M. E. S. (2011). Role development for doctoral advanced nursing practice. New York: Springer Pub. Co. Hamric, A. B., In Hanson, C. M., In Tracy, M. F., & In OGrady, E. T. (2014).Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach. St. Louis, Missouri : Elsevier/Saunders Joel, L. A. (2013). Advanced practice nursing: Essentials for role development. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Co. Mirr, J. M. P., & Zwygart-Stauffacher, M. (2010). Advanced practice nursing: Core concepts for professional role development. New York, NY: Springer Read More