Role Summary: Advanced Practice RoleRole Summary: Advanced Practice RoleIn recent years, healthcare has experienced an endless struggle between patient care and economic sustainability. Advanced practice nurses play a vital role in achieving and successfully carrying out hospital patient care missions (Cathcart, Greenspan, & Quin, 2010). Additionally, the roles of advanced practice nurses are sometimes poorly defined, making responsibilities unclear and expectations unrealistic (Spence Laschinger, Wong, Grau, Read, & Pineau Stam, 2011). Undoubtedly, advanced practice nurses are rapidly becoming more educated, vision-driven, and influential in response to the advanced nursing practice demands of current healthcare needs. In this article I use the appreciative inquiry model to explore my future as a nurse in an advanced practice role. Discovery On the path to an advanced nursing role, I learned the qualities that make advanced nursing nurses exceptional. In my current role as a professional nurse I have discovered that I appreciate values ​​that are important to the success of the career I have imagined. I have experienced what a lack of effective leadership can mean for a nursing unit. While taking this course I have discovered that one of the best things I am doing as an RN is using persuasion as a form of initiating change. Throughout we learned that nurses have historically been in a position to advocate for change, however they have not been as influential as previously believed (Sullivan, 2004). At the heart of effective leadership is influence (Sullivan, 2004). According to Mintzer (2005), influencing people requires a certain degree of persuasion. In addition to my ability to persuade, I learned to ... middle of paper ... and, 21(1), 33-42.Schoening, A. M. (2013). From bedside to classroom: The nurse educator transition model. Nursing Education Research/Educator Transition, 34(3), 167-172. Spence Laschinger, H. K., Wong, C. A., Grau, A. L., Read, E. A., & Pineau Stam, L. M. (2011). The influence of leadership and empowerment practices on the outcomes of Canadian nurse managers. Journal of Nursing Management, 20,877-888.Stavrianopoulos, T. (2012). The clinical nurse leader. Journal of Health Sciences, 6(3). 392-401. Sullivan, E. J. (2004). Becoming influential: A guide for nurses. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.Watmough, S., Flynn, M., Wright, A., & Fry, K. (2010). Nurse or researcher? British Journal of Cardiac Nursing,5(8), 396-399.Stichler, J.F. (2007). Social intelligence: an essential trait of effective leaders. Women's health nursing,11(2), 189-193.