Author’s response
Article Outline
AUTHOR’S RESPONSE:
This letter is in response to a recent Letter to the Editor regarding the July/August article in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care entitled “The Evolving Responsibilities of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner” (Reider-Demer, Widecan, Jones, & Goodhue, 2006). The comments made by Kline and Sorce are appreciated. Their role as acute care pediatric nurse practitioners (AC-PNPs) appears to be very progressive. It is very likely that Kline and Sorce have departments of nursing and medicine that have committees to review and guide their PNPs in obtaining appropriate credentials, privileges, and protocols for their clinical practice. This is not always the case for the PNP.
The article was not focused specifically on the AC-PNP. The aforementioned article was directed to PNPs across the country with the intent to provide general information applicable to all practice settings. The authors are aware of the studies related to successes of the AC-PNP role, but sharing the evidence related to the AC-PNP role was not the purpose of this article. Anecdotal scenarios were provided to provoke the reader’s thought process and to emphasize the importance of credentialing and privileging.
The role and function of the PNP varies from state to state and institution to institution. In particular, NAPNAP receives several inquiries each year from PNPs asking what they should do when a physician or nurse administrator asks them to practice out of their scope. These exams include asking a PNP working in a nursery to perform a circumcision without training, asking a PNP in an ear-nose-throat clinic to care for adult patients with otitis media, and asking a PNP in the emergency department to admit adults. This anecdotal information was to emphasize the importance of credentialing and privileging so that the PNP does not find herself or himself in similar situations.
Although Kline and Sorce provide some valid comments for their clinical practice and setting, they only address one area of practice, the AC-PNP. Perhaps an article addressing specific issues faced by the AC-PNP can be written in the near future.
Reference
PII: S0891-5245(06)00690-0
doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2006.11.003
© 2007 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
