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Commission on Advanced Practice Nursing

Upcoming Council Meetings ›

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.


What is an 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:
    • certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
    • certified nurse-midwife (CNM)
    • clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
    • certified nurse practitioner (CNP)

Additional APRN Resources ›


Join the Commission on Advanced Practice Nursing (CAPN)

Interested in joining the Commission on Advanced Practice Nursing? We would love to have you! NCNA members can join any council by updating their profile:

 Click the “Account” tab.
 Choose “Personal Info” on the left-hand side.
 Scroll down to select the councils you’d like to join.
 Don’t forget to click “Save” at the bottom.

Duke Study Highlights Potential of APRNs in North Carolina

Click here › to read a study by Duke healthcare economist Chris Conover entitled, Economic Benefits of Less Restrictive Regulation of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in North Carolina.

Optimizing Nurse Roles in Healthcare Delivery System Initiatives

The North Carolina Hospital Association, North Carolina Nurses Association and North Carolina Organization for Nurse Leaders worked together to study and report on regulation, policies and potential best practices related to nurses and advanced practice nurses practicing to the full extent of their education and regulatory authority.

This report defines some of the best practices in use among general practice nurses, nurse leaders and APRNs, and how they work together in interprofessional practice teams to impact the “Triple Aim,” which is the simultaneous pursuit of improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care. The project includes interviews and reports from member hospital locations where these practices are already in use.

Final Report: Optimizing Nurse Roles in Healthcare Delivery System Initiatives ›

 
Questions? Email us at membership@ncnurses.org ›
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