Health Policy for Advanced Practice Nursing: A Toolkit for Implementation and Improvement

This volume, endorsed by the International Council of Nurses, is a comprehensive, concise text for advanced practice policy implementation and improvement for all levels where policy affects advanced practice nurses (APNs): practice, education, regulation, legislation, and credentialing. It describes the building blocks of policy implementation and improvement for APNs: theoretical foundations of policy implementation and improvement, assessing need, working with both stakeholders and third parties to understand and implement change, and lastly, building and sustaining a culture of leadership, advocacy, and professional data keeping.
The text then moves to the specifics of health policy implementation and improvement in practice and education settings, including the regulation, legislation, and credentialing supportive to those settings. It concludes with an in-depth review of the critical relationship of research and data keeping to policy development for those who practice as APNs.

The book is intended for those APNs, regulators, educators, and other stakeholders who want to create systems of care where the APNs practice to the full scope of their education and experience, allowing them to improve access to the high quality of care they provide. While many texts address health policy from a theoretical perspective this text is devoted to implementation and improvement at an institution, organization, and jurisdiction level from policy makers who have had years of experience devoted to health policy enactment and improvement.

Dr Kathy Wheeler, PhD, RN, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, FGNLI, is an Assistant Professor (Ret.) at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing where she previously taught in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. Having practiced as a Family Nurse Practitioner since 1981, Dr. Wheeler currently volunteers at Mission Frankfort, a clinic that serves the underserved and immigrant population in Central Kentucky. Instrumental in the formation of the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives, she later served as Executive Director, shepherding multiple policy initiatives through the legislature and organizations for the benefit of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in the state and region. In 2000 she took a position at Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing (now Frontier Nursing University), the first school to educate APNs via hybrid format. Her PhD in Education, concentrating on distance education of APNs, helped Frontier move to collaborative, interactive learning methods. The same was true when she took a position at the University of Kentucky just as they were moving to hybrid format.

After many years serving as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Kentucky State Representative, Region 4 Director, and Treasurer she founded the AANP International Committee, the AANP International Ambassador Program, and the AANP Special Interest Group. She recently served as Co-Chair of the ICN NP/APN Network Health Policy Subgroup, where she oversaw global APN research on nursing roles, regulation, education, and practice. She was also a Commissioner of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program for many years, when the organization grew tremendously, began international testing, and transitioned and developed multiple certification offerings.

She has presented and published extensively nationally and internationally. Areas of practice, interest. and research include health policy, international NP/APN issues, diabetes care, medication adherence, credentialing and competence, and the future of advanced practice.

Dr NP Michelle Acorn, DNP, NP PHC/Adult, MN/ACNP, BScN/PHCNP, FCAN, FAAN, FFNMRCSI, FQNI, CGNC  is the CEO of the Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario since 2024. She previously served as the inaugural Chief Nurse with the International Council of Nurses providing strategic and operational executive leadership expertise to advance and strengthen nursing and health policy. She also served  as the Provincial Chief Nursing Officer in Ontario, Canada providing ministerial strategic nursing expertise as the technical and clinical advisor.  She is a Doctor of Nurse Practitioner/Nursing Practice, dually registered as both a Primary Health Care and Adult Nurse Practitioner. Michelle is internationally certified as a Global Nurse Consultant. Michelle was inducted as an inaugural Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN), a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), a Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (FFNMRCSI, Ad Eundem), and a Fellow of the Queen's Nursing Institute. Michelle was named as one of the top 25 Women of Influence in Canada and received a King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Dr Acorn’s diverse clinical expertise includes practicing in the Emergency, as a Hospitalist, innovating GAIN (Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Networks), and pioneering the most responsible provider (MRP) impacts of a NP–led model of inpatient hospital care, and primary care in corrections and with youth at risk of exploitation and human trafficking. Michelle’s scholarship and knowledge translation are in textbooks, peer-reviewed articles, evidence informed toolkits, and quality improvement initiates. She is recognised for her leadership, mentorship, preceptorship and teaching locally to globally.