This article provided global research in which the Advanced Practice Nurse’s role, regulation, education and practice vary based upon the communities cultural and country-wide polices. A total of 482 surveys were received with about 157 of these being inconclusive and excluded, leaving about 325 surveys of data to be conveyed. This article aligns with Quality and Safety Education (QSEN) by emphasizing how APNs are regulated by education and scope of practice to render safe and high-quality care to their communities across the globe. QSEN has emphasis on several factors relating to patient-centered care, the safety it involves, collaboration, evidence-based practice and its quality as applies to the role of the APN. Wheeler et al. (2022) describe global inconsistencies in titling and credentialing, which can create confusion about role expectations and potentially impact patient safety. The competencies of QSEN define the advanced practice role by establishing clear educational standards and regulatory frameworks which support QSEN’s safety and quality improvement competencies by ensuring APRNs are prepared for complex clinical decision-making.
What resonates with me most is discussion of title protection and regulation. As nurses transition into advanced practice roles, role clarity becomes critical—not only for professionalism but for patient trust and safety. The advanced practice nurse becomes accountable for autonomous decision making and must use clinical judgement dependent on the regulatory board of the state/country that they practice in. Transitioning from the role of the RN to APRN shifts the QSEN application from implementing safe care at the beside to evaluating and improving the systems of care into primary care. This transition expands responsibility from task-based safety to population-level outcomes and interprofessional leadership, reinforcing the deeper integration of QSEN competencies in advanced practice. Although significant progress has been made over the years with advanced practice nurses, there are still many challenges that arise. Implementing more APNs into care can help with barriers that include less access to care to our underserved populations across the globe.
References
Lopes-Júnior L.C. (2021) Advanced practice nursing and the expansion of the role of nurses in
primary health care in the americas. SAGE Open Nursing, 7: 1–4.
Wheeler, K. J., Miller, M., Pulcini, J., Gray, D., Ladd, E., & Rayens, M. K. (2022). Advanced
practice nursing roles, regulation, education, and practice: a global study. Annals of Global Health, 88(1), 42.