Future of Nursing in Texas Term Paper

Texas is one of the strictest states in the country for nurse practitioners who want to open their own clinics, requiring them to find a physician with the willingness and time to follow a complex set of rules. Those rules include requiring the physician to delegate prescriptive authority, review patient charts, make on-site visits or practice within a certain geographical distance of the nurse practitioner. It's a system many nurse practitioners say is unnecessary and burdensome, especially in light of the state's considerable health access problem and the success of nurse practitioners in other states who practice without such direct physician supervision (Krisburg, 2011, p. 1).

In a state where under-service and major disparities as well as a staggering set of predictions about nursing and doctor shortages in the future exists it is difficult to believe that more steps have not been taken to align Texas laws with national examples. Texas' projected nursing shortages rank second in scope only to California and yet APNs are still highly restricted by national standards in their scope of practice and many physicians are unwilling and/or unable to supervise practice in the manner that the law dictates (Krisburg, 2011) Changes in the structure, size and function of nursing education, as has been mentioned is also in need, and strides are being made in this area in particular, even if other areas are more challenged (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF, 2009).

Conclusion

"Nurses are in high demand," is a statement that all of the U.S. has been hearing repeatedly over the last 20 or so years. The national sense that baby boomer aging, as well as nursing aging has created an imbalance in the number of nurses per capita is a clear statistical reality, as does the fact that millions of currently under or uninsured individuals will soon enter the health care system in a different way than before. These issues as well as the reality that APN nursing is also answering the national call for a physician shortage creates what would seem an almost desperate call, in other words the new cry and especially from Texas is going to be "Nurses are in desperate demand!" Despite all the years of stressing this fact across the nation Texas seems to be slow to respond with anything but recognition. Texas needs to become more active and proactive in putting the reality of the nursing shortage forward (without compromising care) and allowing for changes that are desperately needed to address this growing reality.

References

Brush, B.L. (2008) Global nurse migration today. Journal of Nursing Scholarship 40 (1) 20-25. Retrieved June 28, 2011 from: http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74033/1/j.1547-5069.2007.00201.x.pdf

Institute of Medicine (IOM) (2010) The future of nursing leading change, advancing health: Report recommendations. Retrieved June 28, 2011 from:http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing/Future%20of%20Nursing%202010%20Recommendations.pdf

Krisburg, K. (2011) Nurse practitioners call for greater independence: Relaxed rules could help medically underserved. AARP Bulletin. Retrieved June 28, 2011 from: http://www.aarp.org/health/doctors-hospitals/info-01-2011/nurse_practitioners_in_texas_call_for_greater_independence.html

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) (2009) Colleagues in caring: Regional collaboratives for nursing workforce development. Retrieved June 28, 2011 from: http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=17352

Texas Department of State Health Services: Texas center for nursing workforce studeis (2009)Nursing workforce in Texas -…