Commission on Advanced Practice Nursing

ABOUT US - The Commission on Advanced Practice Nursing (CAPN) was established by the NCNA Board of Directors to unify the collective voices of all advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs, also known as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses-APRN) within NCNA. This strategic move created a position on the NCNA Board of Directors for the CAPN Chair to address issues related to APRNs and the overall mission of NCNA.

COMMISSION MEMBERS:

• Chair—Victoria Soltis-Jarrett, PhD, FPMHNP/CNS
• CNM—Pamela Reis, PhD, CNM, NNP-BC
• CNS—Susan A. Williams, MSN, DNS, RN
• APRN PMH—Susan Vebber, MSN, FPMHNP
• NP—John Stover, MSN, FNP-BC
• CNS/NP—Victoria Soltis-Jarrett
• NP—Bette Ferree, MSN, FNP-BC
• NC BON—Eileen C. Kugler, MSN, MPH, RN, FNP

NCNA Staff—Catherine Moore, MSN, RN (Please contact Catherine Moore if you have any questions.)

CAPN GOALS - The CAPN successfully submitted a reference proposal; “The Role of an APRN in North Carolina” that was passed by the HOD in October 2010. Implementation activities included developing informational material for the NCNA website regarding the role of the APRN and the future of the APRN consensus model.

Prioritized Goals for 2011:

1. Participation in IOM healthcare reform processes
2. Develop NCNA website material on the role of the APRN
3. Develop an educational flyer on the role and function of the APRN.

Read the CAPN's charge as stated in the NCNA Bylaws here.

WHAT IS AN ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE (APRN)?
An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is a nurse:

1. who has completed an accredited graduate-level education program preparing him/her for one of the four recognized APRN roles;
2. who has passed a national certification examination that measures APRN, role and population-focused competencies and who maintains continued competence as evidenced by recertification in the role and population through the national
   certification program;
3. who has acquired advanced clinical knowledge and skills preparing him/her to provide direct care to patients, as well as a component of indirect care; however, the defining factor for all APRNs is that a significant component of the education
   and practice focuses on direct care of individuals;
4. whose practice builds on the competencies of registered nurses (RNs) by demonstrating a greater depth and breadth of knowledge, a greater synthesis of data, increased complexity of skills and interventions, and greater role autonomy;
5. who is educationally prepared to assume responsibility and accountability for health promotion and/or maintenance as well as the assessment, diagnosis, and management of patient problems, which includes the use and prescription of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions;
6. who has clinical experience of sufficient depth and breadth to reflect the intended license; and
7. who has obtained a license to practice as an APRN in one of the four APRN roles:

6.  
   • certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
   • certified nurse-midwife (CNM)
   • clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
   • certified nurse practitioner (CNP)

APRN ROLE DEFINITIONS in North Carolina

Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
American College of Nurse Midwives
Core competencies for basic midwifery practice

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Clinical and educational competencies for CNS 

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists  
Scope and Standards for Nurse Anesthesia Practice

Nurse Practitioner (NP)
Competencies for Nurse Practitioners

EMERGING ISSUES

Healthcare Reform
AANP Healthcare reform information

Future of Nursing
The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health:
Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine; Institute of Medicine (2011)

September NCIOM Journal with Nursing Policy Forum Articles
Table of Contents
Full Issue

APRN Consensus Model
The Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education

North Carolina Board of Nursing (NC BON) APRN Advisory Committee
The APRN Advisory Committee was created by the NC Board of Nursing and members were appointed after an application process and subsequent appointment with the following charge for 2010-2012:
1. Study NC APRN Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education Models;
2. Identify gaps with national consensus model for APRN regulation;
3. Make recommendations to the Board.

Doctorate of Nursing Practice
Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing

DNP Programs in NC:
Duke University School of Nursing
Gardner Webb University