An advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) is a registered nurse who completes a graduate-level educational program. An ARNP can have primary responsibility for patient care. Additional ARNP roles include certified registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives. ARNPs practice independently and also may work with physicians and other health care professionals.
ARNPs complete either a master's or doctoral degree program. They receive advanced clinical training beyond that of a registered nurse.ARNPs also complete national certification, periodic peer review, clinical outcome evaluations and adhere to a code for ethical practices.
The licensed ARNP may:
- Examine patients and establish diagnoses by patient history, physical examination and other assessments
- Admit, manage and discharge patients to and from health care facilities
- Order, collect, perform and interpret diagnostic tests
- Manage health care by identifying, developing, implementing and evaluating a plan of care and treatment for patients
- Prescribe therapies and medical equipment
- Prescribe medications when necessary
- Refer patients to other health care providers, services or facilities
At Swedish, ARNPs care for patients across many health care services within clinic and hospital settings. Services include general health, such as acute care, family and gerontology, women’s, neonatal and pediatric/child, and psychiatric/mental health. ARNPs can also provide specialties services, such as allergy and immunology, cardiovascular, dermatology, emergency, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology and oncology, neurology, stroke, neurological surgery, occupational health, orthopedics, pulmonology and respiratory, sports medicine, urology and vascular surgery.
