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Barriers to Advanced Practice Nursing
There are many barriers that slow the progression of advanced practice nursing in healthcare. In this discussion, I will focus on the affects of the financial burden of affording higher education, restrictions on the scope of practice, and role conflict within interprofessional teams. It will address the impact that these barriers have on the growth of advanced practice nursing, as well as strategies that can be used to help advanced practice nurses (APRNs) navigate and overcome them.
Financial Burden of Affording Higher Education
While programs like The Affordable Healthcare Act's Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration aim to offset the costs of clinical training for APRNs, many candidates still face difficulty financing their advanced degrees (Porat-Dahlerbruch et al., 2022). This slows the progress of advanced practice nursing by limiting access from nurses who are financially disadvantaged due to income, number of dependents, or established debt. Possible solutions to overcoming the lack of financial support for education include considering working full-time while completing the advanced degree, seeking scholarships and grants from honor societies and other organizations, applying for financial aid through federal student aid, and exploring military benefits (Khawly & Blore, 2025).
Restrictions on the Scope of Practice
The roles, responsibilities and autonomy for APRNs vary from state to state. While 27 US states and territories allow full practice authority, others only allow reduced or restricted practice regulations (Boehning & Punsalan, 2023). This factor causes healthcare disparities within our nation by inhibiting access to high-quality, affordable, and preventative healthcare in many underserved areas (Boehning & Punsalan, 2023). This barrier can be overcome by advocating for state and federal-level policy changes allowing full practice authority for APRNs across the board.
Role Conflict within Interprofessional Teams
APRNs are trained to provide care by utilizing evidence-based practice and standardizing high-quality and affordable patient care for the American public (Boehning & Punsalan, 2023). The persistent misunderstanding of the APRN role has limited effective collaboration within the interprofessional team establishing role conflict. One distinguishing characteristic of APRNs is their proactivity in patient care. This feature is displayed within the advanced nursing practice via comprehensive patient education and lifestyle counseling, holistic patient care, and disease prevention (NPHub, 2024a). Establishing an advanced practice nursing leadership structure within healthcare organizations could help overcome this barrier within the interprofessional team by evaluating, maintaining, and promoting the APRN role. (Henderson et al., 2024).
Conclusion:
In conclusion, financial constraints, limitations on practice authority, and interprofessional role conflict hinder the progression and advancement of advanced practice nursing. Addressing these inhibitions would require policy reforms, financial support programs, and enhanced collaboration within the interprofessional network. APRNs can continue to evolve and improve patient outcomes with ongoing advocacy and systemic change. Need Assignment Help?