An Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) is a Registered Nurse (RN) educated to Masters level (or equivalent) in clinical practice. They will have been assessed as being competent in their practice and this means that they can carry out additional tasks when it comes to supporting patients. ANPs have an expert knowledge base and can safely manage patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions.
What does an Advanced Nurse Practitioner do?
There’s a whole range of tasks that Advanced Nurse Practitioners can carry out. These include, but are not exclusive to:
- Making autonomous decisions
- Diagnosing and treating patients
- Prescribing medicine within their competence
- Referring patients to secondary care
- Completing appropriate home visits
Where can ANPs work?
Essentially, Advanced Nurse Practitioners are required anywhere that would benefit from their advanced skills and knowledge. This includes primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings, such as GP surgeries, A&E departments, care homes, and medical assessment units.
What skills do Advanced Nurse Practitioners need?
ANPs must be confident in making decisions and able to combine nursing tasks with addressing the medical needs of those in their care. They should be able to carry out assessments and manage any risks that become apparent, plus be responsible for their decisions and the actions that these lead them to. Advanced Nurse Practitioners are caring individuals who deliver person-centred care, can provide health advice, and display great leadership skills.
You can discover more about nursing and this fantastic career path on our nurse career guide where you’ll find a selection of articles and blog posts – including information about how to become a nurse. If you’re an Advanced Nurse Practitioner or a Registered Nurse looking for a new role, explore our vacancies across the UK today!
For further reading about Advanced Nurse Practitioners, take a look at the Royal College of Nursing website.
