APN Interview
Interview an APN about their roles, transition, and the role development phases that they have experienced. Identify their current role in the organization that they work for. Ask for specific descriptions of situations at different points in their practice regarding barriers that they have encountered. How did they resolve
Introduction
This paper aims to summarize interview findings made after engaging an APN to understand their experience after transitioning from nurse practice. The interview will focus on learning more about the client, like their current role in the organization they work for and the transitions they have experienced throughout their career. As a result, it will be possible to identify the various phases of career development that the APN has experienced during a career transition. Finally, the interview will also focus on identifying the barriers the APN experienced during different stages of their career and the solutions they applied. Focusing on each stage of career development as an APN will help to identify the differences between novice and expert experiences after the transition.
Introducing the Interviewee-APN Interview
I had an interview with an APN identified using the initials of her name for this summary, which is N.K.H. She has been an APN nurse for the last 10 years and has gone through different phases of career development to get to her current position, and she explains that being an APN allows a practicing nurse to provide direct care to the patients with no supervision (Fullerton et al., 2019). Her current role is as a clinical nurse specialist providing specialized care for people undergoing operations in the facility (N.H.K., personal communication, February 25, 2023).
Hence, N.K.H. works collaboratively with neuro-surgeons when they are executing their responsibilities within the healthcare facility. Her role as a clinical nurse specialist is to engage the patient in both pre-operative, whereby she conducts the required tests and procedures and prepares the patient by explaining what they are required to do before the procedure begins. Similarly, she engages patients during post-operative care, whereby she helps to evaluate them for any complications and also manages any arising incidents.
Practicing as a New APN
NKH argued the transition to an APN was challenging for her because she felt like her previous experience as a practicing nurse was being undermined, and she had to be supervised as she executed her responsibilities. She felt limited on what she could do alone because this was a learning phase, and she lacked the confidence to take the initiative by herself to accomplish tasks unsupervised due to the anxiety of failing to do the right thing. N.K.H. also notes that she struggled to prioritize tasks as no rules were demanding for the tasks that ought to be accomplished the task, which eventually led to feelings of exhaustion.
Her biggest challenge was requesting diagnoses for patients because she developed some anxiety about whether she was doing the right thing or not. However, N.K.H. further stated that working with a mentor was instrumental because she learned new knowledge, adapted to her new role, and progressed to other advanced stages. Overall, she described her first sixth months practicing as a nurse as a learning period that helped her to proceed to the next levels. Her description of this phase depicts a lack of confidence and fear while going about her daily routines, which makes this phase characterized by low levels of job satisfaction because the patients do not achieve their perceived objectives (Barnes et al., 2021).
Discuss Practicing as an APN Second Six Months
N.K.H. describes the second sixth months of her practice as easier than the previous phase because she had already learned what was required of her. At this point, she adhered to the established rules and guidelines she had learned during her first months of practice as an APN In addition, she felt that she had acquired adequate real-world experience in her role to solve emerging issues.
Nonetheless, N.K.H. continued to work with the mentor she had acquired during her first months after transitioning to an APN However, she was experiencing a challenge in ensuring that all patient needs have not been left unattended and one fulfills their responsibilities adequately. N.K.H. acknowledged that receiving feedback from the mentor was essential in developing her experience at this stage of her practice as an A.N.P. nurse. Hence, just like the first six months of the transition, having a mentor was crucial in enhancing growth and development in the field.
Discuss Practicing as an APN One Year into the Role Transition-APN Interview
One year after transitioning into an APN role, N.K.H. felt more competent when executing the assigned responsibilities because she had learned from experience and also was to implement the knowledge she had acquired. At this point, she felt that she was able to prioritize the right tasks and also accomplish all the roles that had been assigned to her. Furthermore, she could relate each task assigned within the APN plan and the goals she had laid when executing her roles and responsibilities.
int he APN Interview, N.K.H. argued that she was more confident when attending to patients, even in the absence of the doctors, and she would request specific diagnoses on the patients (N.H.K., personal communication, February 25, 2023). Additionally, she felt more confident after attending to patients without consultations and did not doubt whether all their needs had been fully addressed. N.K.H. was confident that she could guide novice APNs through the transition process and ensure that they were equally competitive as them. At this point in her transition to APN N.K.H. depicts some confidence when executing her roles and responsibilities, indicating that she has immensely learned from her mentors and real-life experiences.
Discuss Practicing as an APN Now (expert)-APN Interview
In this APN interview, N.K.H. was much delighted to discuss this phase of her practice as an expert APN because she could see issues in their entirety. In addition, N.K.H. argued that she was guided by maxims, which she defined as evidence that provided direction for the healthcare giver to determine the right direction to consider when providing patient care. Additionally, she argued that she felt more confident when addressing complex issues among the patients without supervision. She explained that she delights in working with patients during the pre-operation phase as she prepares them for their surgical procedures by conducting the necessary tests and explaining the operation and what is expected.
In addition, she delights in taking care of the patients post-operation, ensuring they are free from any danger from arising complications by managing their recovery procedure. The APN also argues that she is not dependent on rules and regulations in managing patient conditions at this level because she is confident of the knowledge she acquired and the understanding she has of what should be accomplished. Schönenberger et al. (2020) articulate that patient experiences are also much improved when attended by expert APN nurses because they perceive them to have an added value based on the knowledge they have acquired during career development.
Comparison from Novice to Expert in Terms of Role Development
Based on my interactions with the N.K.H., there are substantial differences among patients regarding role development after transitioning to an A.N.P. Initially, N.K.H. had to work under a supervisor when executing her duties and responsibilities because she was considered to lack adequate knowledge in the sector. However, this changed when she qualified to be considered an expert because she could work on comprehensive issues individually and address all the emerging challenges (Hoffman et al., 2009).
In addition, being a novice seemed to have few responsibilities bestowed on her because she was in her learning phase. However, this changed as she moved through different phases of development because she was trusted with more tasks, and she also learned what tasks to prioritize. At the expert level, there is so much she had been entrusted with when dealing with patients and expected to accomplish them without getting anything wrong. Hence, role development for an APN tends to come with much more responsibilities than one is expected to accomplish within a short period after the transition.
Comparison From Novice to Expert in Terms of Role Concepts-APN Interview
N.K.H. depicts the variations in role concepts for an individual as a novice and after becoming an expert in their APN nurse. Role concept refers to the ability of the nurse to find a balance with the environment in which they are executing their responsibilities. Immediately after transitioning, N.K.H. lacked a role concept because she felt new in the industry, which compelled her to be under a supervisor when executing duties and responsibilities. However, this changes across different phases of career development because she tends to gain confidence when executing her role as an APN nurse (Hoffman et al., 2009).
At the expert level, she handled complex tasks without assistance. She was satisfied that her patients would leave the facility when all their needs were attended to. Also, APN nurses will feel more confident when executing their responsibility of attending to the patients than in their initial years in the practice. The differences between a novice and expert APN nurse have their foundation in the individual’s experience at different levels of career development.
Conclusion
The transition from a nursing practice to an APN is a form of career development. But that is challenging for the individual during the initial days of the procedure. My interview with the APN helped me understand the various phases of career development that an APN undergoes since one begins as a novice and grows through different phases to become an expert. However, as a novice APN, N.H.K. found the phase challenging. She seemed like she had not practised in the healthcare industry because she had to be guided in her new role.
However, with the mentorship that she received, she managed to grow and understand what she was expected to achieve. Analyzing the interview made it possible to identify the differences between novice and expert APNs in their role development and concept.
References
Barnes, H., Faraz Covelli, A., & Rubright, J. D. (2021). Development of the novice nurse practitioner role transition scale. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 34(1). https://doi.org/10.1097/jxx.0000000000000566
Fullerton, J. T., Schuiling, K. D., & Sipe, T. A. (2019). The doctorate of nursing practice and entry into midwifery practice: Issues for consideration and debate. Nurse Education in Practice, 36, 97–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2019.02.001
Hoffman, K. A., Aitken, L. M., & Duffield, C. (2009). A comparison of novice and expert nurses’ cue collection during clinical decision-making: Verbal protocol analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46(10), 1335–1344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.04.001
N. K. H. (2023 February 25). Personal communication [Personal interview].
Schönenberger, N., Sottas, B., Merlo, C., Essig, S., & Gysin, S. (2020). Patients’ experiences with the advanced practice nurse role in Swiss family practices: a qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00482-2