My Function Brief:

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

In Air Force And Joint Operations
 The U.S. Airforce is a large organization comprised of many
personnel, such as airmen and engineers.

 Pediatric Nurse Practitioners are also part of the United States Air
Force because airmen have families.

 This presentation is about my function brief as

a PEDIATRIC NURSE IN THE AIR FORCE.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Functions (AFSC 46Y3B)

 PNPs are advanced-  Specializes in the care of

practice registered nurses. children from birth to
young adult.
 The PNP focuses on:

 Primary care, preventive health, and growth and development;

 Management of acute and chronic illnesses.

 The PNPs, first and foremost nurses, mean that:

 Patient education, holistic care, significant part of practice.

 In some states, physicians may or may not be required

 The specific PNP functions are:

 Gather patient information
 Diagnosing illnesses
 Perform routine checkups
 Prescribe medication and other treatments
 Order laboratory tests
 Counsel children and their family
Training, Attributes, Skills

 Educational and training  Personal and professional

requirements of PNPS: attributes of PNPs include:
completed accredited enjoy working with
nursing program and children and families.
higher education such as
MSN and DPN  As APNs, PNPs:
demonstrate skilled
autonomy
The PNP and AF Doctrines
 The most relevant AF
Doctrine is “Synergistic
Effects” (Air Force, 2015).
 Synergistic Effects Doctrine
holds that:
 An effective force results
from multi-domain
coordination
 Which produces “effects that
exceed the contributions of
forces employed individually”
(Air Force, 2015).
 AF Objective: coordinate
air and surface powers to:
 Defeat enemy forces, or
 Make them at least comply
with U.S. national will (Air
Force, 2015).
 Speed and agility are of
utmost importance in war
fighting
 Airpower uniquely dictates
tempo/ direction of effort.
The PNP and Synergistic Doctrine

 PNPs are very versatile providers of care (Lewis, Yackel &

Prior, 2016).

 Have requisite skill to meet demands of combat.

 They can substitute for other medical assets such as physicians
 That are critically short due to sustained conflict
 Because PNPs are educated and trained to be primary care providers
during deployment.
 This way, PNPs enable speed and agility objectives in AF.

Versatility promotes synergy

 PNP skills and competencies enable Synergistic Effects by:
 Contributingto a coordinated force across multiple domains
 PNPs enable airmen to concentrate on their tasks because

 PNPs help ensure that airmen’s children are in good health

 Or, if otherwise, are competently taken care of.
Aside from caring for airmen’s children, PNP’s are trained,
skilled and competent in ensuring that airmen:

ARE IN PEAK HEALTH HAVE PEACE OF MIND

If they are in peak health and have peace of mind, airmen can
deliver precise, coordinated application of the various elements
of airpower.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Doctrine on Health Services

 The Doctrine on Joint Health Services

establishes AF health-related activities,
training and performance

 The Doctrine is necessary because of interrelated health system sharing

 The Doctrine states that there should be military guidance for exercise authority
by combatant commanders and other joint force commander

 Flexibility and Continuity are two of the principles embodied in the Doctrine.
F le x ib ility
 Flexibility: preparedness, empowerment to shift medical
resources to meet changing requirements.

 PNPs facilitate flexibility because

of multifaceted skills.

 PNPs flexible: may work autonomously, or

collaboratively.
The Principle of the Continuity of Care and Treatment
 Continuity of care and treatment is achieved by:
 Moving patient to higher role of care
 Either through roles of care, or
 Bypassing to a more appropriate role of care
 To definitive care (Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2017).

 PNPs facilitate continuity of care.

 PNPs: have APN competence

 May care for entire family
 Can provide healthcare education for patients and family members.

 PNPs can respond effectively to increased demand for primary care

 Thus, PNPs can help ensure positive patient outcomes even at

specialized care levels.
CONCLUSION
 PNPs are considered APNs.
 PNPs possess competence, dedication, compassion,
nursing values.
 PNPs facilitate achievement of AF Synergistic Effects
 PNPs facilitate Joint Health Services Principles on:
 Flexibility
 Continuity of Care
 PNP roles strongly aligned with AF and Joint Doctrines.
REFERENCES
Air Force. (2015). Volume 1, Basic Doctrine. Retrieved from
http://www.doctrine.af.mil/Core-Doctrine/Vol-1-Basic-Doctrine/
Air Force Personnel Center. (2016). Air Force officer classification directory (AFOCD).
Retrieved from http://static.epublishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi36-
2101/afi36-2101.pdf
Bibb, S. C., Malebranche, M., Crowell, D., Altman, C., Lyon, S., Carlson, A., & ...
Rybarczyk, J. (2003). Professional Development Needs of Registered Nurses
Practicing at a Military Community Hospital. Journal Of Continuing Education In
Nursing, 34(1), 39-45.
Lewis, P. C., Yackel, E., & Prior, R. M. (2016). The Role of Army Nurse Practitioners
Supporting Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, 58-
61.
Registered Nurse Org. (2017). Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Retrieved from
https://www.registerednursing.org/nurse-practitioner/pediatric/
Teicher, S., Crawford, K., Williams, B., Nelson, B., & Andrews, C. (2001). Emerging
role of the pediatric nurse practitioner in acute care. Pediatric Nursing, 27(4), 387-390.