The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse as a Prescriber

A new era of opportunity is emerging for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to increasingly address gaps in access to quality health care. APRNs must be prepared to practice to the full scope of their education and abilities. As more and more states pass legislation enhancing prescriptive authority and fully autonomous practice for APRNs, a comprehensive resource on prescribing practices is needed.


The increasing demands of today's fast-paced health care environment require a new level of prescriber expertise. Knowledge about medication characteristics and effectiveness must be accompanied by an understanding of the context and process of prescribing. The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse as a Prescriber provides practicing APRNs and students information necessary to make fully informed, rational and ethical decisions as prescribers.


The book opens with an overview of the role of the APRN prescriber and moves on to discussing practical issues such as managing difficult patient situations, special considerations when prescribing controlled substances, the influence of pharmaceutical marketing, state regulation, and legal aspects of prescribing. The book also examines barriers to prescribing, and the concluding chapter underscores key information to build cultural competence when prescribing.


An evidence-based resource for all APRNs and APRN students, The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse as a Prescriber provides a comprehensive and practical resource essential for APRNs in all advanced practice roles.

* Provides an up-to-date, evidence-based resource for APRNs in a prescribing role
* Assists with managing the special circumstances surrounding the prescription of controlled substances
* Offers strategies that build expertise to meet the challenges of difficult patient situations
* Examines approaches to addressing the barriers APRNs confront when prescribing medications
* Prepares prescribers to navigate the complex regulatory, legal and ethical issues surrounding prescribing

Marie Annette Brown, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, FAAN is Professor at the University of Washington School of Nursing and a primary care nurse practitioner at the Women’s Health Care Clinic at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Louise Kaplan PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, FAANP is Director of Nursing at St. Martin's University in Lacey, Washington.