Assignment Task:
Write a reply to the following peer Leslie's post: Some states offer advanced practice nurses (APNs) greater authority to perform clinical duties, while excessive restrictions complicate the job in others. For example, in Illinois, APNs have reduced practice authority, while in Florida, it is restricted practice (AANP, 2023). In Illinois, an APN may be licensed to practice independently by submitting a notarized certification that she has completed 250 hours of continuing education and 4,000 hours of clinical experience after first obtaining national certification by first going through a process supervised by an APN or physician for six months (225 ILCS 65/ Nurse Practice Act., n.d.). In Florida, to practice independently, an APN must have completed 3,000 clinical hours under the supervision of an allopathic or osteopathic physician within the past five years and submit proof of three semester hours of graduate-level training in differential diagnosis and three hours in pharmacology within the past five years (Florida Board of Nursing, 2024). In Florida, an APRN can prescribe or dispense prescription medications only if they have graduated from a master's or doctoral program in a clinical nursing specialty area with training in specialized professional skills (Toney-Butler & Martin, 2023).