Define, Describe, Compare, and Contrast a Nurse Practitioner and a Research Paper

Define, Describe, Compare, and Contrast a Nurse Practitioner and a Clinical Nurse Specialist - Research Paper Example Nurse practitioners can work independently of a doctor, and can practice in various settings such as family practice, women’s health, school health, primary care, pediatrics, emergency, geriatrics, cardiology, neonatology, nephrology, and oncology (Mirr & Zwygart-Stauffacher, 2010). A clinical nurse specialist is also engaged in advanced nursing, but she specializes on a specific course to lay focus on a specific population complementing the course of study. A clinical nurse specialist can focus on a certain field, such as post-anesthesia care or certain diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and pediatrics among others. The nurse can also specialize in working in a specific environment such as an emergence room, a recovery room, an operating room, or a general ward. A clinical nurse specialist also focuses on clinical practice, research, consulting, teaching, and management. While a nurse practitioner usually has good decision-making skills, a clinical nurse specialist is more assessment-oriented and has good assessment skills (Fulton et al, 2010). The two types of nurses always rank at the top in nursing field because they practice advanced nursing. The two are quite similar in qualifications and the environments they work in, and in some countries like Canada, it is quite hard to compare and contrast. Even though the two are quite similar, there are some differences. The two can be compared and contrasted in terms of education, job roles, practice setting and medical practice. Both positions require master’s degree as a minimal qualification. They attain almost similar qualifications and schooling for a similar duration. However, a nurse practitioner must complete and pass a certificate program after the master’s degree to be able to study different fields of medicine. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners together with the licensing body, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, usually provides this certificate