Throughout the ongoing physician shortage, NPs have been on the front lines filling in the gaps to provide patient care, especially in rural areas. Yet, some groups are still actively working to restrict full NP autonomy, stating, “…patients deserve care led by physicians.” However, research has shown how NPs are able to provide patient care that is comparable to physicians. So, how can NPs advocate for themselves in a field that still favors physician care over NPs?
One of the best ways to be heard is to become a leader. With various roles to consider, such as Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) or Chief Medical Officer (CMO), there are many opportunities for NPs to take initiative and make a difference in the medical landscape.
Merging Your Clinical Experience with Administrative Power
For NPs who don’t believe they could qualify for administrative leadership positions, consider the skills you’ve already developed.
With strong clinical backgrounds, NPs gain a strong understanding of patient needs, treatment plans and outcomes, and general workflows that come with a functioning practice. This clinical experience is essential for administrative roles that require interpreting healthcare data such as patient satisfaction scores and treatment success rates.
Leading Improvements in Patient Care
Having worked on the frontlines of patient care, NPs are well-versed in patient satisfaction and can easily identify opportunities for improvement. Clinical inefficiencies can be caused by a myriad of issues, but they are no secret to an experienced NP. As an administrative leader, NPs can then refer back to these issues they most likely had hands-on experience maneuvering and then implement initiatives to improve these issues and improve patient satisfaction.
Supporting Staff Well-Being and Retention
The NP career is growing fast, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a 45% increase within the profession by 2032. However, not every career in the healthcare field is seeing such a boom. Burnout continues to plague healthcare careers, with one-third of frontline workers considering leaving the field altogether.
NPs have firsthand experience with the difficulties that come when serving patients, granting them the ability to empathize with their clinical staff. Having once served alongside them, NPs in administrative leadership positions can understand what their clinical staff needs in order to feel supported, respected, and encouraged to stay in the field.
Advancing NP Autonomy
When NPs utilize their clinical skills to reach administrative leadership positions, they gain more tools to advocate for NP autonomy. As an administrator, NPs can work alongside nursing boards, professional organizations, and even legislators to push back against restrictive practice policies.
Justifying NP autonomy requires evidence, and NP administrators have the opportunity to highlight their successful experiences with patients under NP care models. As NPs continue to show the value they bring to patient care, they can further validate the push for autonomy.
Breaking Down Barriers
NP administrators aren’t limited to showing what they can do, but they can also show how patients are affected when they can’t participate in full practice.
For example, rural areas continue to experience a physician shortage, contributing to the lack of accessible healthcare in these communities. While the growing number of NPs can help fill these gaps, restrictive policies act as another barrier to receiving care. Although the NP is capable of providing the necessary patient care, restrictions could mean that patients would have to wait for an available physician despite the NP’s capabilities.
By highlighting how these restrictions are harmful to patients in underserved communities, NP administrators can further advocate for full NP autonomy.
A Vision for the Future
NPs possess both the clinical expertise and leadership potential to shape the healthcare landscape. As NP leaders continue to advocate for equitable healthcare, they can bridge gaps in care and influence policies that recognize the necessity of NP autonomy.
