Nurse practitioners (NPs) are licensed nurses who diagnose patients, request examinations and tests and prescribe medications. However, limitations on an NP’s abilities vary depending on the state’s healthcare legislation, which can negatively affect the NP’s work.
Georgia operates the “Restricted Practice” policy, which means that all nurse practitioners must be involved in career-long supervision, delegation, or team management headed by another health provider. That limits how much patient care an NP can provide.
The “Full Practice” policy has been prescribed as the best option by the National Academy of Medicine as it allows NPs more independence in their practice. Implementing this policy will enable the healthcare system to benefit from the immense usefulness NPs can present at the primary level of healthcare through preventive medicine.
Nurses and nurse practitioners must partner with relevant unions and interest groups to advocate for implementing the full practice policy in all states in the US.