Scope of Practice

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The scope of Practice for ARNPs and PA
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) or Physician Assistants (PAs) should be allowed to prescribe, order, and administer controlled substances only under the supervision of a physician mainly because they lack the knowledge, training, and experience to rule things out, and that puts them at the position to make mistakes. The same increases expenses on the patients’ side as they are made to undergo many laboratory tests, due to the professional’s inability to tell apart the probable diseases (Schierhorn). The presence of a physician to direct and assist in such situations would guarantee efficiency regarding time; finances and low rates of hospital return visits (ACEP Now).
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants (PAs) should be allowed to expand their practice to the prescription, ordering, and administration of controlled substances independently. Allowing them to carry out these duties will improve the speed and efficiency of service since they are in close contact with the patient (Schierhorn). These professionals are always competent following their presence both at primary care and alongside the physicians. They thus have the advantage of interprofessional interaction which improves their experience. Moreover, the demands of health provision overwhelm the population of doctors, such that the provision of service to patients tends to be slow and unable to evenly cover the patient population (“Barriers to NP Practice That Impact Healthcare Redesign”).

Expanding the scope of practice of ARNPs and PAs will serve to fill the void of deficiency and to fulfill the growing needs of population healthcare thereby partly contributing to the achievement of better care and affordable, and better health.
However, if ARNPs are to be allowed to do prescribing, some level of control in the form of rules and regulations should be placed to reduce the probability of medical errors and inappropriate prescribing. The first rule would be to establish a credentialing level of education and training since it is inappropriate for one to perform such duties relying only on their presence and interaction with physicians during duty (Schierhorn). Also, it should be made a personal responsibility for one to be conscious of their competence and maintain truth, both in practice and advertising. This would include the personal responsibility of offering referral to an advanced professional as appropriate when a situation calls. These rules will serve to eliminate the cases of medication errors and keep each professional to their right title of address.

Works Cited
ACEP Now. “Opinion: Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Should Not Have Same Drug Prescribing Authority As Physicians – ACEP Now.” ACEP Now. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Nov. 2018.
“Barriers To NP Practice That Impact Healthcare Redesign.” Ojin.nursingworld.org. N.p., 2018. Web. 8 Nov. 2018.
Schierhorn, Carolyn. “As NPS Push For Expanded Practice Rights, Physicians Push Back – The DO.” The DO. N.p., 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2018.