When an APRN chooses to specialize, there are four specializations to select from, according to the APRN Consensus Model, which regulates APRNs’ roles.1 Once the APRN has chosen their specialization, they can choose to focus on a specific population.
Certified Nurse Practitioner
A certified nurse practitioner (NP) is a type of APRN who specializes in providing high-quality patient care; this includes diagnosis, treatment, patient education and preventative health maintenance. NPs consider all the information surrounding a patient—including not only medical information but environmental and mental health factors as well.2
Furthermore, NPs are educators, which means they must stay current on the latest trends and healthcare policies, and they must also know how to communicate effectively with their patients in order to educate them. This approach provides patients with the highest quality of care possible.
Certified Nurse Specialist
At first, the role of a certified nurse specialist (CNS) may sound a lot like that of an NP, because both roles work to improve patient care. However, their scopes of practice are actually quite different. A CNS has a unique role within advanced practice nursing. These professionals act as mentors, educators and advocates within their organization to help encourage and promote facility change and high-quality patient care.3
A CNS uses their expertise from advanced nursing degrees to ensure that nurses are using the best evidence-based care for patients, thus filling a vital supervisory role within an organization. Although they themselves are not directly providing care to the patients, CNSs have the unique opportunity to make real changes within an organization.
Certified Nurse Midwife
A certified nurse midwife (CNM) provides primary care services to women in the area of reproductive health, which includes preconception, prenatal, childbirth and postpartum care. They also provide support to families, helping them plan for the pregnancy process as well as the trials of early parenthood.
A CNM, unlike an NP or CNS, specializes in treating a single population: new and expectant mothers. They are able to focus on women’s reproductive health, which includes not only their physical health but their mental health as well. They help women with all aspects of reproduction, ensuring the safety and health of both the mother and child, giving CNMs a vital role in lifespan development.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
The main role of a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is, as the name suggests, to administer anesthesia to patients in a variety of settings. However, their job does not stop after they have delivered the anesthesia; these professionals are there to help ensure patient safety before, during and after any procedure requiring the use of anesthesia. Such procedures often take place in the operating room and may involve high-risk situations, which means that the role of a CRNA is one of great responsibility.
A CRNA does not necessarily focus on a specific patient population; rather, they provide anesthesia-related care for any patient who requires it. Such care ranges from small, simple procedures to immediate and life-threatening illnesses or injuries that require immediate surgery. These professionals can educate families and patients on specific anesthesia treatments and possible side effects, ensuring that patients are not only well-cared for but also that they feel as though they are receiving the best possible care.