This view of health policy from the perspective of APRN practise is a call to action for advanced practise nurses to learn about the impact and implications of current initiatives in health policy. This knowledge will assist them in determining how they define and create positive change for their patients and have an impact on community, national and world health. This is the only text that satisfies the need for policy discussions for all APNs , it is designed to meet the requirements of both the IOM report on The Future of Nursing and the DNP criteria V for inclusion of health policy and advocacy in the curriculum. The text encompasses evolving health care policy and reform in the U.S., Canada and internationally, addressing its impact on advanced practise nursing, APRN roles, care for special populations, health care quality and patient safety.

The book brings together a wealth of information written by luminaries in the field. Dr. Goudreau is a Past President and Board Member of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) and Dr. Smolenski was Director of Certification Services at the ANCC for 11 years, directing certification for 150,000 nurses in over 30 specialties.

The text discusses issues surrounding the regulation of APRNs, how the local regulatory environment shapes their practise and how they can shape their local regulatory environment. Additionally, the text brings in international perspectives on how APRNs can and are impacting patient care globally. In order to provide content relevant to a universal APRN readership, each section of the text endeavors to present information from all four APRN perspectives: NPs, CNSs, CRNAs and CNMs. For all of these roles, the book covers the implications of current and future health policy changes for APRN practise.