Available online 31 January 2023

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The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) supports full practice authority for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) as independent providers of health care services for women and newborns. AWHONN supports a woman’s right to choose and have access to a full range of providers and settings for pregnancy, birth, and women’s health care. Women have a right to fair, reliable, and unbiased information about care options so they can make well-informed choices

The Role of APRNs

The APRN designation includes the following roles: certified nurse-midwife (CNM)/certified midwife, certified nurse practitioner (NP), certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and clinical nurse specialist (CNS). APRNs serve as patient care clinicians, in nursing leadership roles in health care delivery organizations, and as faculty in academic settings.

The APRN consensus model core elements include licensure, accreditation, certification, and education to ensure uniformity across the

Recommendations

AWHONN supports the availability of APRN services as an option for all women and newborns. Recommendations to remove barriers for APRNs and increase APRN full practice authority in caring for women and newborns are as follows:

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Recognize and respect the appropriate and evidence-based scope of practice and state licensure parameters of each health care professional.

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Increase the number of APRN educational programs for all APRN roles and population foci.

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Increase access to care through various

Public Policy Recommendations•

Develop policies and legislation to expand APRN practice to full practice authority.

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Develop and expand policies and legislation to recognize and utilize APRNs in private and public health care plans.

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Provide federal and state funding for APRN education programs.

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Enact an APRN licensure compact.

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Develop and extend prescriptive authority to APRNs (e.g., practice to the full extent of licensure and training without a requirement to enter a formal supervisory or written collaborative agreement with a

AWHONN Contextual Statement

Although the words “woman,” “women,” and “mother” and related pronouns are used herein, AWHONN recognizes the existence of diverse gender identities and acknowledges that not all individuals who present for care self-identify as women or exclusively as women. When referencing the published results of previous studies, terms used by the original authors are retained for accuracy. To provide appropriate, respectful, and sensitive care, the health care provider is encouraged to always ask

Acknowledgments

AWHONN gratefully acknowledges Lacey Rose Miller, DNP, CNS, APRN, RNC-OB, C-EFM; Amy Aparicio, MSN, CNS, RNC-OB, IBCLC; Shannon McKinney, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, RNC-OB; Kristin Kepler, DNP, WHNP; Cheryl Parker, DNP, CRNA, RNC-OB; and Karen Crowley, DNP, WHNP, ANP, CNE, who contributed to portions of this revised position statement.

References (20)Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Consensus Work Group & National Council of State Boards of Nursing APRN Advisory...Funding announcementsPosition statement: Certified registered nurse anesthetists, advanced practice registered nursesScope of nurse anesthesia practice(2022, May 27). Arkansas opts out of physician supervision of CRNAs [Press release]Issues at a glance: Full practice authorityPosition statement: Principles for licensing and regulating midwives in the United States in accordance with the global standards of the International Confederation of MidwivesDefinition of midwifery and scope of practice of certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives(2020, November). Statement of policy: Midwifery education and certificationWomen’s health clinical nurse specialist competencies

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© 2023 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc.