A scoping review of the progress of the evolution of the Doctor of Nursing Practice in the USA to inform consideration of future transformation of Nurse Practitioner education in Australia

Background

In 2004 a consensus was reached through a vote of membership of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to move Nurse Practitioner education from the masters to the doctoral level by 2015.

我院糖尿病专科护士在高级护理实践中的角色探讨

通过对我院糖尿病专科护士角色,功能的介绍,指出国内高级实践护士的发展尚处于起步阶段。在借鉴国外发展经验的同时,思考我国糖尿病专科护士发展前景与对策,以期为我国糖尿病专科护理的发展提供参考依据,培养出适合我国国情的高素质护理人才。     

Supporting Emergency Care Delivery Through Updated Emergency Nurse Practitioner Competencies

As multidisciplinary emergency care becomes increasingly complex, all team members must be aware of their respective roles and responsibilities. In the emergency department, nurse practitioners are integral members of the team. They possess a wide range of clinical and leadership competencies that allow them to perform specific and differentiated tasks within the emergency department. A well-defined competency not only contributes to the promotion of a positive work culture but also clarifies performance expectations, identifies skill gaps, and supports team development. Furthermore, it allows the nurse practitioner to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining patient safety. The competencies of emergency nurse practitioners have evolved over the past 2 decades. The authors discuss the importance of establishing clear expectations for emergency nurse practitioner practice in this article and the alignment of competencies with organizational culture and objectives.     

美国骨科开业护士与我国骨科专科护士的发展现状及启示

美国骨科开业护士发展较早、培养体系成熟,该文从美国骨科开业护士的起源与发展、准入条件与认证考核、实践范畴、培养模式、继续教育等方面分析,结合国内骨科专科护士现状,对骨科专科护士工作和培养进行综述,为国内培养应用型骨科专科护理人才提供借鉴。     

Developing the scope of practice and education for advanced practice nurses in Finland

Background:  The reorganization of Finnish healthcare services has required a restructuring of the areas of responsibility between healthcare professionals.
Aim:  To describe the need for Advanced Practice Nurses in Finland and the development process of a Master's programme in Health Promotion, Advanced Clinical Care.
Methods:  The study consisted of a survey of nurse managers (24) and focus group interviews with clinical nurse specialists (46).
Findings:  The expanded role includes advanced clinical skills and responsibility for health prevention and promotion, education, supervision, leadership, research and development.
Conclusions:  The legislation, scope and models have to be supported and further developed to promote the full scope of advanced practice.     

Evaluating Emergency Nurse Practitioner services: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENP) are increasingly managing minor injuries in Accident and Emergency departments across the United Kingdom. This study aimed to develop methods and tools that could be used to measure the quality of ENP-led care. These tools were then tested in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: A convenience sample of 199 eligible patients, over 16 years old, and with specific minor injuries was randomized either to ENP-led care (n = 99) or Senior House Officer (SHO)-led care (n = 100) and were diagnosed, treated, referred or discharged by this lead clinician. Following treatment, patients were asked to complete a patient satisfaction questionnaire related to the consultation. Clinical documentation was assessed using a 'Documentation Audit Tool'. A follow-up questionnaire was sent to all patients at 1 month. Return visits to the department and missed injuries were monitored. RESULTS: Patients were satisfied with the level of care from both ENPs and SHOs. However, they reported that ENPs were easier to talk to (P = 0.009); gave them information on accident and illness prevention (P = 0.001); and gave them enough information on their injury (P = 0.007). Overall they were more satisfied with the treatment provided by ENPs than with that from SHOs (P < 0.001). ENPs' clinical documentation was of higher quality than SHOs (P < 0.001). No differences were found in recovery times, level of symptoms, time off work or unplanned follow-up between groups. Missed injuries were the same for both groups (n = 1 in each group). CONCLUSION: The study was sufficiently large to demonstrate higher levels of patient satisfaction and clinical documentation quality with ENP-led than SHO-led care. A larger study involving 769 patients in each arm would be required to detect a 2% difference in missed injury rates. The methods and tools used in this trial could be used in Accident and Emergency departments to measure the quality of ENP-led care.     

Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Wage Differences by Employment Setting

Background: Previous studies reported that primary care nurse practitioners working in primary care settings may earn less than those working in specialty care settings. However, few studies have examined why such wage difference exists.Purpose: This study used human capital theory to determine the degree to which the wage differences between dingsPCNPs working in primary care versus specialty care settings is driven by the differences in PCNPs’ characteristics. Feasible generalized least squares regression was used to examine the wage differences for PCNPs working in primary care and specialty care settings.Methods: A cross-sectional, secondary data analysis was conducted using the restricted file of 2012 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners.Findings: Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition technique was used to explore the factors contributing to wage differences.The results suggested that hourly wages of PCNPs working in primary care settings were, on average, 7.1% lower than PCNPs working in specialty care settings, holding PCNPs’ socio-demographic, human capital, and employment characteristics constant. Approximately 4% of this wage difference was explained by PCNPs’ characteristics; but 96% of these differences were due to unexplained factors.Discussion: A large, unexplained wage difference exists between PCNPs working in primary care and specialty care settings.     

美国高级助产护士的发展现状及启示

高级助产护士为获得研究生学位并在助产士教育和认证之前接受过护理培训的助产士,属于高级实践护士的一种。该文对美国高级助产护士的起源与定义、教育水平、核心能力、认证要求、实践范围、对产妇及新生儿的影响进行综述,分析高级助产护士在我国发展遇到的挑战,旨在为我国高级助产护士的发展提供借鉴。     

安宁疗护高级实践护士核心能力指标体系的构建

目的:构建安宁疗护专业高级实践护士的核心能力指标体系.方法:通过文献回顾,根据专家协调小组意见,自行设计专家咨询问卷,对全国7个省份15所医院从事临终护理实践、护理管理、姑息医疗以及从事院校安宁疗护教育4个领域的23名资深专家进行两轮德尔菲专家咨询.结果:构建的安宁疗护高级实践护士的核心能力指标体系包括沟通及合作能力、...     

Nursing keypal exchange: an effective acculturation strategy to prepare for an international experience

Aim: The aim of this paper is to provide arguments for incorporating keypal exchanges prior to an international exchange. Background: At Rotterdam University of Applied Science in the Netherlands, the Master's in Advanced Nursing Practice Program/Nurse Practitioner Program focuses on the role of the nurse practitioner and places emphasis on internationalization within the curriculum. The students must complete a short‐term immersion experience to the USA during the 2‐year programme. Conclusion: An effective teaching strategy to acculturate students to the American culture, healthcare and nursing system differences was utilized by incorporating keypal communication within the international preparation programme.     

Nurse Practitioner competency standards: findings from collaborative Australian and New Zealand research

BACKGROUND: The title, Nurse Practitioner, is protected in most jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand and the number of nurse practitioners is increasing in health services in both countries. Despite this expansion of the role, there is scant national or international research to inform development of nurse practitioner competency standards. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to research nurse practitioner practice to inform development of generic standards that could be applied for the education, authorisation and practice of nurse practitioners in both countries. DESIGN: The research used a multi-methods approach to capture a range of data sources including research of policies and curricula, and interviews with clinicians. Data were collected from relevant sources in Australia and New Zealand. SETTINGS: The research was conducted in New Zealand and the five states and territories in Australia where, at the time of the research, the title of nurse practitioner was legally protected. PARTICIPANTS: The research was conducted with a purposeful sample of nurse practitioners from diverse clinical settings in both countries. Interviews and material data were collected from a range of sources and data were analysed within and across these data modalities. RESULTS: Findings included identification of three generic standards for nurse practitioner practice: namely, Dynamic Practice, Professional Efficacy and Clinical Leadership. Each of these standards has a number of practice competencies, each of these competencies with its own performance indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Generic standards for nurse practitioner practice will support a standardised approach and mutual recognition of nurse practitioner authorisation across the two countries. Additionally, these research outcomes can more generally inform education providers, authorising bodies and clinicians on the standards of practice for the nurse practitioner whilst also contributing to the current international debate on nurse practitioner standards and scope of practice.     

Nurse retention: A review of strategies to create and enhance positive practice environments in clinical settings

Objectives

This paper summarises and critically reviews strategies identified in the literature which support retention of nurses by the creation and enhancement of positive practice environments in the clinical setting.

Design

Literature review.

Data sources

A literature search was undertaken in February 2012 of major healthcare-related databases, Cinahlplus, Medline, and Proquest.

Review methods

The keywords “nurs* AND practice AND environment” were used in the first instance. Additional keywords “retention strategies” were also searched. Abstracts were reviewed and articles which potentially outlined strategies were identified. Reference lists were scanned for other potential articles. Articles in languages other than English were excluded. Lake's Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index provided a framework from which to assess the strategies.

Results

Thirty-nine papers reported strategies for creating a positive practice environment. Only two articles reported on a pre-test post-test evaluation of the proposed strategy. Strategies included: empowering work environment, shared governance structure, autonomy, professional development, leadership support, adequate numbers and skill mix and collegial relationships within the healthcare team.

Conclusions

Creating positive practice environments enhances nurse retention and facilitates quality patient care. Managers and administrators should assess and manage their practice environments using a validated tool to guide and evaluate interventions.