Advanced Nursing Practices during Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a slew of reforms for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), both in terms of direct patient care and the scope of practice that governs this role. Many hospital-based APRNs have had to change their focus from their area of specialty to providing acute care for patients diagnosed with the virus, while many primary care clinics, if they are operating at all, have suffered huge drops in patients. Furthermore, evidence from the front lines suggests that nurses and other health care workers are suffering from substantial mental distress as a result of delivering direct patient care during the pandemic.

• Policies for healthcare workers