Department of Neuroscience Nursing

An APRN is a licensed nurse who meets advanced educational and clinical practice requirements. APRN must be able to care for a particular population or serve in a specific clinical role. They can assess, diagnose, and manage patient problems, order tests, and prescribe medications.

At Barrow, we employ two types of APRN:

• clinical nurse specialists (CNS)
• certified nurse practitioners (NP-C)

Where do APRN work at Barrow?

Our advance practice registered nurses work in the following areas:

• intensive care units
• acute care floors
• neuroradiology
• clinical offices

What are the steps to becoming an APRN?

There are three steps to becoming an APRN:

1. Earn a minimum of an MSN degree (many programs are becoming doctoral degrees).
2. Get certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
3. Get licensed by your state or territorial board of nursing.

What is the difference between a certified nurse practitioner (NP-C) and certified nurse specialist (CNS)?

Certified Nurse Practitioners

Certified nurse practitioners (NP-C) provide services like:

• health history interviews
• physical examinations
• diagnosis and treatment of illnesses
• reading laboratory results and imaging
• management of prescriptions and therapies
• lifestyle teaching and counseling
• referrals

At Barrow, certified nurse practitioners augment physicians and serve as the primary contact person on your care team. Our goal is to educate you and promote overall wellness.

Compared to clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners spend more time interacting with patients and managing their care.

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Clinical nurse specialists (CNS):

• monitor quality and safety
• hold leadership and administrative roles
• develop criteria for patient care
• monitor patient outcomes
• develop performance improvement initiatives

At Barrow, clinical nurse specialists educate other nurses, advise patients, and act as patient liaisons.

Compared to certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists are more focused on the administrative aspects of patient care.

What is unique about advanced practice registered nursing at Barrow?

Barrow Neurological Institute is one of the busiest neurological hospitals in the world. Our nurses and doctors treat some of the rarest neurological disorders known, and our APRN staff boasts several internationally known neuroscience nursing experts.

APRN at Barrow Neurological Institute are encouraged to conduct and publish research, participate in IRB initiatives, and present at conferences and symposia.

Do you train advanced practice registered nurses at Barrow?

There are several opportunities for APRN training and continuing education at Barrow. We participate in an expert exchange program and host an annual neuroscience nursing symposium.

We also host graduate students and international observers.

How can I learn more about advanced practice neuroscience nursing?

For clinical observer opportunities, please contact:

• Jasmin Stefani, MSN, FNP-C
  Phone: (602) 406-5785
  Email: jasmin.stefani@dignityhealth.org
• Madona Plueger, ACNS-BC
  Phone: (602) 406-5138
  Email: madona.plueger@dignityhealth.org

The Newsome Neuroscience Nursing Scholarship was conceived of by the proponents of the Barrow Neuroscience Nursing Program in the United Kingdom by way of the Barrow Neurological Foundation U.K.

It is designed to replicate the Newsome Neurosurgery Fellowship, in which recipients of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious neurosurgery prize visit Barrow Neurological Institute for up to 6 weeks to observe our surgeons in action.

Though patients are touched profoundly by our neurosurgeons at Barrow, the patient’s primary experience of undergoing surgery and recovery at Barrow most heavily involves our neuroscience nurses. As such, benefactors of the Barrow U.K. Foundation felt that nurses would also benefit greatly by traveling to Barrow to observe and learn from our world-renowned nursing faculty. In turn, these nurses bring this knowledge back to share with their colleagues in the U.K., and by extension raise the standard of care in their home country.

The scholarship is funded by the U.K. branch of the Barrow Neurological Foundation and administered by the British Association of Neuroscience Nurses (BANN). Nurses competing for the scholarship submit a paper and propose a research thesis to pursue while at Barrow.

While at Barrow, nurses on the Newsome Scholarship observe care firsthand in the following areas:

• Neurological Intensive Care Unit
• Neurotrauma and Neuroscience Emergency Room
• Long-term acute care
• Neurosurgical Operating Rooms
• GammaKnife Radiosurgery
• Support Groups
• Neurological Rehabilitation
• Scholarship recipients also learn about the research activities conducting by the Barrow Neuroscience Nursing faculty

The first two nurses to receive the scholarship finished their rotation at Barrow in 2012 and have since presented their findings to the BANN.