How do you think the patient, public, the nursing profession, the medical profession, and legislators view and accept the role of the Advanced Practice Nurse?

One peer response needs to be supported by evidence-based information or best practice evidence. Must be evidence based. No Mayo Clinic references.
Original peer post below:::
Question: How do you think the patient, public, the nursing profession, the medical profession, and legislators view and accept the role of the Advanced Practice Nurse?
Analysis: The role of the Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner is becoming more widely recognized and understood by medical providers, legislators, and the general public. The acceptance of NPs and their role is somewhat dependent on the support and understanding of medical professionals and other healthcare providers. When there is a lack of understanding of the NP role, there are issues with developing a multi-disciplinary team, ultimately affecting patient outcomes. Physicians must trust in the NP for them to feel confident in sharing responsibilities and collaborating with them as equals. The building of a supportive relationship between NPs and doctors is essential to facilitate the appropriate use of the NP role (Torrens et al., 2019). When doctors and NPs have a good, supportive relationship, this helps enable the understanding and confidence the doctor with have in the ability of the NP.
Legally, there are barriers to the NP role, making it hard for them to practice independently in some states and healthcare settings. According to Buppert (2022), the Social Security Act does not describe NPs as primary providers, but rather as supervised helpers that the physician must delegate to. Laws differ by state, but federal law uses the term “supervision” rather than “collaboration,” a change made by Congress would be required to make a difference in the terminology used to describe NPs (Buppert, 2022). Due to the increased need of healthcare providers, the role of the NP is needed to help take some of the strain off of other healthcare providers and to improve patient outcomes.
Reflection: I feel as though the role and capabilities of nurse practitioners is becoming more accepted in recent years. I have two jobs, both where nurse practitioners are employed and used in various ways, but the role of the practitioner and what they can do differs greatly. At the pediatric clinic in which I work, NPs are essentially interchangeable with physicians when it comes to seeing patients, but do not perform many of the procedures that physicians do. In the NICU setting, where my other job is, the NPs see each patient, and when there is an issue or question, they are your go-to person. NPs are able to make changes and input orders, but they must round with a neonatologist, who then must agree to their plan of care and either make changes, or sign off on the note before the new orders are put in. In both settings, the nurse practitioners are very respected and used almost interchangeably with physicians. I do notice that there is still a stigma there for some patients or family members when they find out that they are seeing a NP instead of a doctor, but I think there have been improvements made to the understanding recently.
As far as lawmakers and legislation, I feel like the acceptance of NPs has come a long ways and current changes are happening to further the capabilities and scope of practice. In Kansas, for example, a recent law was passed in July of this year to expand the abilities of the NP and allow them to practice independently. This certain change is a great step in the right direction for Kansas and NPs.
Reference
Buppert, C. (2022). Nurse practitioner’s business practice and Legal Guide (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Torrens, C., Campbell, P., Hoskins, G., Strachan, H., Wells, M., Cunningham, M., Bottone, H., Polson, R., & Maxwell, M. (2019, September 27). Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the advanced nurse practitioner role in primary care settings: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies. Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748919302500