PLENARY SESSION: IMPLEMENTING ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING (APN)

Nursing has always been an evolving profession, be it in practice or in education. The advancement of new technologies is an inevitable corollary to prompt regulatory bodies and nursing leaders to cautiously perform curricular review on the scope of nursing practice and standards of care. Without accepting these new challenges, nursing will be a status quo.The conception of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) has totally transformed the direction and future of the nursing profession. The nurse at the forefront co-equally embraces the emerging demands of the expanded roles as the practice of nursing continuously evolves.The trend of nursing specialties which has evolved since the 20th century has initiated the advancement of nursing practice to the advanced practice level to perform specialty functions with role expansion in patient care. The demand for this continuing challenge is driven by changes in and increasing patient care needs, newer technology and state-of-the-art facilities and changing opportunities within the workforce as well as a diminishing physician supply. Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) will evidently address the aforementioned by embracing the expanded nursing roles encompassing knowledge and competence based on substantial experience and graduate education in the promotion of health and prevention of disease which can primarily serve the marginalized population