Assignment: Practicing in Oncology
Assignment: Practicing in Oncology
system that promotes academic progression; (c) nurses should be full partners with physicians and other healthcare pro- fessionals in redesigning healthcare in the United States; and (d) effective workforce planning and policymaking require better data collection and information infrastructure.
KEYWORDS
oncology nurse practitioners; scope
of practice; professional development
DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER
10.1188/18.CJON.516-522
BACKGROUND: Oncology nurse practitioners
(ONPs) are advanced practice RNs prepared at the
graduate level with high-level knowledge and skills
in oncology. Because of challenges in educational
programs and variability in the scope of practice
at the state and institutional level, many ONPs are
challenged to practice to the full extent of their
education, certification, and licensure.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article is to
review issues affecting the education and practice
patterns of ONPs and to identify solutions to
address the challenges that exist for ONPs.
METHODS: Members of the Oncology Nursing
Society’s Nurse Practitioner Summit summarized
the challenges faced by ONPs related to education,
training, practice, and professional development.
FINDINGS: Efforts to promote ONP practice at
the fullest extent of licensure and across various
settings should be prioritized. Resources must be
devoted to education, onboarding, and retention
to integrate and retain ONPs as leaders of the
interprofessional team.
This report recognizes the importance of nursing in achieving the goals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including expanding access, shifting care delivery from treatment to prevention, improving healthcare quality and safety, providing culturally competent healthcare to vulnerable populations, reducing costs, and improving healthcare efficiency and delivery by using health- care information technology (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2018).
As APRNs, nurse practitioners (NPs) are healthcare providers who are well poised to meet these goals, with a growing number of NPs annually entering practice. According to data provided by the AANP, the number of certified NPs has significantly increased since the ACA was passed into law, with more than 248,000 currently certified NPs (AANP, n.d., 2018a) (see Table 1); how- ever, the number practicing in oncology in the United States is unknown (Coombs, Hunt, & Cataldo, 2016) because no central- ized licensing or registration pathway exists for ONP practice.
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