Assistant Nurse Practitioner Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the assistant nurse practitioner job description, including the duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the assistant nurse practitioner role.

What Does an Assistant Nurse Practitioner Do?

Assistant nurse practitioners are one of the many practicing nurses in any country. Their day-to-day activities are closely related to the duties of doctors in their field.

The assistant nurse practitioner job description entails diagnosing, consulting, and prescribing medication.

Nurse practitioners generally have a specialization in a certain field, such as anesthesiology, midwifery, and pediatrics.

They work under the direction of a health professional such as biomedical scientist, nurse, podiatrist, dietitian, and physiotherapist.

Their level of experience and training means that they can work independently, without supervision.

They will carry out agreed procedures, referring to a professional for guidance when necessary.

Assistant nurse practitioners work across the NHS in most departments. They can decide to work in communities, hospital, or clinics.

Optionally, they might visit patients in their residential care or homes. They also work hand in hand with staff specialized in healthcare and have a lot of contact with patients.

The assistant nurse practitioner work description may also involve mentoring healthcare assistants, student nurses, and trainee assistant practitioners.

Individuals who are interested in becoming an assistant nurse practitioner must first bag a Bachelor’s degree and secure license to practice as a registered nurse. He/she will then need to have some clinical experience.

Assistant practitioners/associate practitioners have experience and skills in a particular area of clinical practice.

However, they are not registered practitioners, but they have a high level of skill through their training and experience and training.

A nurse practitioner specialized training allows them to offer higher-level of health care services closely related to a physician.

Like all RNs, the primary role of a nurse practitioner is providing general treatment and care to patients by conducting tests, assisting physicians, and administering treatments.

Before an assistant nurse practitioner gets the job, he/she will first be given the necessary training needed to perform excellently at the job.

Assistant practitioners usually follow a nursing training or therapy pathway and go through a level 5 two-year foundational degree in social or health care, which may be available as an apprenticeship program.

Through regular training, an assistant nurse practitioner can keep their skills up to date.

Assistant practitioners can become members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) or the professional association for their specialty.

Assistant Nurse Practitioner Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Assistant nurse practitioners perform various functions in providing effective medical care to patients.

The typical assistant nurse practitioner job description is shown below consist of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

• Working in testing lung function, respiratory medicine, and assessing lung function
• Doing occupational therapy, and assessing people’s need for equipment’s and aids
• Work in an operating theatre area, monitoring patients who are recovering from surgery, assisting in surgical procedures and other procedures
• Offering therapeutic, rehabilitative, social and personal care, e.g. management, bowel care, and catheter insertions etc.
• Work on dietetics; encouraging clients to make healthier food choices
• Providing personal, social, therapeutic and rehabilitative care (e.g. bowel care and management, catheter insertions etc.)
• Analyzing samples in a laboratory
• Providing mental health services, rendering support for adults or young people with mental health issues
• Helping people recover in their homes (stroke rehabilitation)
• Radiography; helping to treat a patient’s illness or diagnosing them
• Monitor medications and change dressings
• Offer hearing services as a hearing aid dispenser.

Assistant nurse practitioner Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge for Career

Employers hiring for the role of assistant nurse practitioners expect candidates to possess certain skills, abilities, and knowledge that will aid them to effectively perform the objectives, purpose, and obligations of the position if hired.

Shown below are major requirements most recruiters may ask applicants for the assistant nurse practitioner position to fulfill to be employed:

• You have to be working in the NHS; often in a clinical support role such as dietetic assistant, healthcare assistant or maternity support worker
• Possess healthcare experience; trainee assistant practitioners have a healthcare qualification, usually at level 3, such as the CACHE Diploma in Clinical Healthcare Support
• Assistant practitioners need to be caring and kind
• They must be knowledgeable confident with using lifting equipment
• Assistant nurse practitioners must be willing to be hands-on with patients
• Have an excellent ability at carefully following procedures and instructions
• Must be able to work in a team while using their own initiative
• Should be able to explain procedures to patients without sounding confusing
• Should be methodical, logical, and careful
• Possess excellent communication skills; listening included
• Must have very strong organizational skills.

Conclusion

This post is helpful to employers or recruiters needing to hire for the position of assistant nurse practitioner.

By applying the sample job description presented in this post, employers will be able to make good description of the role that effectively informs applicants of the duties and responsibilities they will be expected to perform if hired as an assistant nurse practitioner with their organization.

This article is also useful to people needing information about what assistant nurse practitioners do, to help them learn about the career and make up their minds about getting into it.