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The Advance Practice Nurse (APN) has an influential role in coaching and guidance of their patients in the education of their disease process, in aiding their patients through components of the stages of change (Hamric, 2014), and in developing a therapeutic working relationship with each patient to establish and meet personal goals. Unlike the registered nurse’s role of educating their patient’s through educational handouts and return demonstration of technical skills, APNs must also identify through verbal and nonverbal cues obstacles that may inhibit the patient from meeting their developed goals. (Hamric, 2014). Registered nurses (RN) integrate basic educational components needed to aid the person in living with a new illness or coping with a new disposition in life (i.e. newborn baby, death of a loved one) whereas APNs must integrate an “holistic” approach to guidance and coaching of their patients and or family members. According to Xu, for effective teaching to occur one must use a patient centered communication approach to ensure patient’s comprehension and to assess the effectiveness of one’s teaching method (Ping Xu, 2012). The APN must also asses their clientele for high risk populations that may return to the hospital from complications of chronic illnesses, thus being considered a readmission, adding to the hospital’s lost revenue. APNs have a broader scope of practice and responsibilities when it comes to coaching patients regarding disease processes and barriers reduce the success of patients meeting established goals.

I feel the most effective component of coaching and guidance for an APN is the establishment of a therapeutic relationship with the patient and or family members, thus being referred to by Henric as interpersonal competence. To establish a therapeutic relationship, the APN must in cooperate one’s personal knowledge of the situation, thus providing a holistic approach, and conveying empathy, trust, and active engagement in the relationship. (Hamric, 2014) Through continued education, repeated exposure, and personal experience, one can continue to strengthen their interpersonal competence. (Hamric, 2014)

The teaching and coaching described in the text follows more of a wellness model of care. The teaching being provided to patients enables them to understand their current circumstance and become advocates of their health care. This enables them to act proactively to reduce or prevent complications from occurring related to their status. Ensuring continuity of care from the hospital setting to the home allows for early intervention of complications and reduction of healthcare related cost. 

References

Hamric, A. P.-B. (2014). Advanced Practice Nursing An Intergrative Approach. St. Louis: ELSEVIER.

Ping Xu, M. M. (2012, March). Using teach-back for patient education and self-management. Retrieved from American Nurse Today: https://www.americannursetoday.com/using-teach-back-for-patient-education-and-self-management/