Advanced practice nursing means that you have defined yourself to colleagues and the community to provide excellent

nursing care at a level in which your clinical decisions are made based on experience and evidence based research through a holistic model approach. DeNisco and Barker (2013) describe components of advanced practice nursing to include: education, practice, research, and ethics. As an advanced practice nurse (APN), I will fulfill all these components. Currently as a direct care nurse, I hope to bring in my expertise on patient centered care and primary nursing. My beliefs about nursing and the society today include that most community members trust and respect nurses for their devotion to caring for others at a time of need. Through advanced nursing practice, nurses are able to bring higher levels of education such as the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) and research to the community in the primary care setting. As an APN, you take on many roles in the community and should strive to promote health, prevent illness, restore health and hold up the integrity of the healthcare system. This concept may surprise many community members, that as a nurse, we dont just take vital signs and administer medications. Sharing with the community the role of APN and the DNP prepared nurse practitioner is an educational opportunity. Being an APN is different from other nurse providers and healthcare providers in many ways. One thing that I personally strive to explain to people is how as a nurse I care for patients through the medical model, while still following a holistic health approach. The four dimensions of holistic health are physical, mental, social and spiritual (DeNisco & Barker, 2013). I believe that a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) is a vital part of every community because you are able to focus on community-centered care at the forefront. In the community, I feel that the FNP takes on the role of caring for a client physically, mentally and spiritually based on their needs. In addition, the FNP takes on the role of educating the patient and the whole family while strengthening the health of their loved one. I consider an advanced practice nurse practitioner, such as a FNP, to be part of a multidisciplinary team that includes holistic care involving many people in the process to achieve the wellness of the client. By focusing on primary and community-centered care of the family, you are able to care for the child, sibling, and even the parents or expectant parents. Advanced practice nursing fits directly into society and can be seen in the community, in hospitals, in administration, in the school system, and in government politics. The obligation of the APN to society is plainly seen as promoting health and preventing disease. Although these concepts are important, as the APN you serve as a community advocate and leader and should strive to be politically active for the

community members. I can remember being in one of my first nursing classes, community nursing and thinking that I wouldnt need to understand any of the public health concepts, since I would work in the hospital. Looking back, I now can both understand and appreciate all the parameters of public health and community nursing. As a FNP with my DNP, I hope to see accomplishments of screening and prevention progress in the nursing community. DeNisco, S. M. & Barker, A. M. (2013). Advanced Practice Nursing: Evolving Roles for the Transformation of the Profession (2nd Ed). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.