An Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a registered professional nurse who is currently licensed to practice and has obtained skills and knowledge through an advanced education programs which is recognized by the State Board of Nurse Examiners (Sherwood, Brown, Fay and Wardell, 1997). The APN plays an expanded role in nursing, providing care for individuals, families, and/or groups in a wide range of settings such as the home, hospitals, schools, community agencies, clinics (public and private), and in private practice. Some APNs practice independently, while others work in collaboration with other health care professionals. They concentrate on health assessments to promote health and prevent disease, diagnose and manage common acute conditions, refer patients to specialists when appropriate, and manage patients with stable chronic conditions in many different settings.
APNs may order, conduct, and interpret appropriate laboratory and diagnostic tests, and prescribe pharmacologic agents, treatments, and nonpharmacologic therapies (Sherwood, Brown, Fay and Wardell, 1997). They are also responsible for educating and counseling individuals and families about healthy lifestyle behavior. APNs may also practice as Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Anesthetists, and Certified Nurse Midwives, depending on their specialty (History, 2006; Sherwood, Brown, Fay and Wardell, 1997). APNs serve the unmet needs on primary health care systems, providing personalized, client-oriented, comprehensive care along a continuum of the treatment process, and integrating all aspects of health care for the patient over time.
Nurse Practitioners (NP) prepare initially in an NP program of at least three months, but 65 percent of NPs have completed a masterÆs degree program and 10 percent have a post-masterÆs degree certificate (Nursing, 2006). NPs may practice independently or practice in hospitals, various health care agencie...