Collaborating for Full Practice Authority (FPA) Legislation

One question that often arises when crafting laws to respond to registered nurses’ quest for full practice authority (FPA) legislation is whether they should seek collaborations with physician organizations. On the surface, such an endeavor might appear advantageous because it would strengthen the quality of their professional relationships and lead to meaningful partnerships when required. However, concerns have also arisen regarding the readiness of professional organizations to cooperate genuinely in such relationships (Moore et al., 2020). As these entities are bound to think of empowered nurses as rivals, they could propose or promote restrictive relationships that undermine the nurse practitioners (NP’s) chances of achieving their FPA goal. In such cases, the collaborations would be problematic and disadvantageous for registered nurses.

Perceived from the point of advantage, collaborations between physician organizations and NPs in pursuing the FPA will be crucial for improving primary care. The logic behind the view rests on the impression that such collaborations might lead to establishment of structures and systems that will respond to health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic promptly. The combined efforts of the two parties are also bound to result in greater efficiency among them (Dillon & Gary, 2017). Hence, the collaboration will give healthcare practitioners higher bargaining power in their search for full practice authority.

When most facts are balanced, it becomes logical to conclude that the predicted advantages of collaborations between physician organizations and NPs are likely to surpass the perceived disadvantages. In this regard, the two parties could establish rules and structures for harmonizing their partnerships to increase their chances of success in pursuing the FPA legislation. To this end, critical to the success of the collaboration is the element of mutual interest and the readiness to promote each other’s professional interests after the legislation.

References

Dillon, D. & Gary, F., A. (2017). Full practice authority for nurse practitioners. Nursing Administration Quarterly 14(1), 86-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000210                 

Moore, C., Kabbe, A., Gibson, T., S. & Letvak, S. (2020). The pursuit of nurse practitioner practice legislation: A case study. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 21(4), 222-232. doi.org/10.1177%2F1527154420957259