Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN)
ANA represents the interests of all APRNs, which include: Certified Nurse Practitioners (NPs), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs).
Supported by a growing body of evidence of the safe and cost-effective provision of care by APRNs, there is a national call to remove all barriers to full practice authority from organizations such as the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the National Governors Association (NGA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA), among others. Removal of regulatory barriers is work in which the ANA and its’ Constituent - State Nurses Associations have been engaged for many years. “Full practice authority” is generally defined as an APRN’s ability to utilize knowledge, skills, and judgment to practice to the full extent of their education and training.
Many non-physician health care providers are trained and willing to help meet this need, but are not permitted to do so because of limitations in their scope of practice. Shortages in primary care providers affect 1 in 5 Americans. Given the shortage of primary care physicians, allowing non-physician professionals, such as APRNs, to practice to the full extent of their education and training gives patients more options and more types of services.