Healthcare is a vital sector in all countries of the world because it provides services to people suffering from different ailments. This field has changed over the years due to increased number of health conditions to handle that resulted in emergence of new patients needs and demands for high-quality care. In most countries of the world, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are among the most valuable specialists in providing high-quality primary care to patients. These professionals, including clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists, play a fundamental role in healthcare sector. APRNs are always committed in providing primary care and are at the lead of offering preventative care to the people in the community. Due to the nature of the profession, there are different state requirements and regulations for this nursing specialty. These requirements and regulations vary from one administrative territory to another. Before deciding to practice as an APRN, it is important to understand certification, legal and licensure requirements of a particular US state. The paper focuses on requirements developed for Georgia.
Healthcare sector in Georgia involves private and public healthcare providers. To ensure integration and well-organized operations of this field, Georgias administration has come up with laws and regulations that are aimed at ensuring that only qualified individuals are permitted to offer healthcare services. Thus, for one to be allowed to practice as APRN, they must meet the set certification, legal and licensure requirements. The state of Georgia allows four key types of APRNs. They include: certified nurse midwife (CNM), nurse practitioner (NP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA).
Licensure Requirements for Advanced Practice Nursing in Georgia
To be licensed practical nurse in Georgia, one must be a registered qualified nurse. In case an individual holds an RN license in a state other than Georgia, one is required to use the Application for Licensure by Ratification in order to apply for a RN license and be able to practice in Georgia. If an individual has never been licensed to practice in Georgia or any other state of the US, a nurse is required to apply for Georgia licensure through the Application for Licensure by Exam. Additionally, if someone got RN training in a foreign country, a practitioner should apply for a license through Exam for Graduates of Intercontinental Nursing Education Programs. In this case, a person who received training in a foreign country also goes through a course-by-course evaluation, which is carried out by the Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools Commission.
When a license to practice as advanced practice nurse is currently expired or inactive, one is required to submit for application for reinstatement. It is a requirement in Georgia to renew a license from the Board of Nursing every two years. For instance, for licenses that expired in January 2016, before renewal process is completed, nurses are required to meet the continuing proficiency requirements. These requirements include 30 continuing education hours, completion of reentry program, completion of an recognized academic nursing program, maintenance of authorization by a national attesting body, or confirmation of proficiency at a facility having 500 hours worked.
Legal Requirements for Advanced Practice Nursing in Georgia
The first legal requirement for an individual to practice as an APRN in Georgia is possession of a valid Georgia registered nurse license. There is a well-outlined procedure that one must follow before acquiring a RN license. Another legal requirement relates to the level of education that one must attain in order to practice as APRN. According to APRN practice regulation, one must have at least a masters degree in the area of specialty . One more important issue is that a nurse needs to have an active national accreditation in the area of specialty. Additionally, the law in Georgia requires that before one starts practicing as a licensed nurse practitioner, certified nurse- midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist, they must hold an APRN approval from the government of Georgia. A registered nurse license in Georgia shows advanced practice authorization.
How to Meet Requirements
With clear understanding of the APRN practice requirements in Georgia, I am fully committed to meet all these requisites. On the first requirement relating to licensing, I intend to follow the outlined procedure. Having acquired training from a different state, I will apply for a license through Application for Licensure Exam. I will undertake the exam to ensure the board that I am highly qualified to practice as an APRN in Georgia. I intend to respond to all the questions of the exam and obtain high marks that will persuade the board to give me the license to practice. Once I qualify for the license, I will do my best to ensure that I update it after every two years to show that I comply with the law regulating the operations in the healthcare sector.
Since the above step will only e