The psychiatric nurse practitioner 1993-2003: a decade that unsettled a specialty

Between 1993 and 2003, a debate raged in psychiatric mental health (PMH) nursing. It was a decade of discourse about the role and titling of PMH advanced practice nurses. The PMH role evolution that occurred throughout this decade was driven by several forces, not all of which were in the control of PMH nursing. This article traces the multiple dynamics that prompted the evolution of the PMH nurse practitioner role, foremost the ascendancy of primary care and the influence of managed care. It also analyzes the conflict created by the American Nurses Credentialing Center PMH Nurse Practitioner examination that became a lightning rod for the disruption occurring in the traditional PMH role. Although the controversy surrounding PMH advanced practice nurse titling is beginning to clear, with the clarity comes a new set of problems for the development of the PMH workforce.

GERONTOLOGICAL Nurse Practitioners: Implications for the Future

Advanced practice nurse preparation should be focusing on the "person" rather than the "place." The major obstacles outlined previously in this article in advancing the critical role gerontological nursing has to offer in the 21st century continue to exist, including the decreased number of graduates choosing gerontological nursing as a specialty of choice. Nursing cannot afford to wait for enrollments to change. As nurses, we must actively "infiltrate and teach gerontological nursing in other specialties" (Futrell, 2002, pp. 188-189) if we are to address the health care needs for this rapidly growing population.

Does Advanced Community/Public Health Nursing Practice Have a Future?

Societal trends and predicted needs of the health care system indicate that there will be increasing demands for health care professionals who can effectively manage the health needs of populations and communities. Nurses who have master's degrees in community/public health nursing have the educational background to provide this expertise. Although the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators and many nursing leaders maintain that these nurses are advanced practice nurses, most leading nursing organizations and state nurse practice acts do not include population and community health management skills in their definitions of advanced practice nursing. These exclusions have produced a serious status problem for master's programs in community/public health nursing. This article examines issues affecting the current and future status of master's-level community/public health nursing. Solutions are suggested for ensuring the viability of this specialty area.

The heat is on: strike while the iron is hot

Despite the fact that many PCTs recently failed to achieve the coveted 3-star rating, and regardless of concerns about the financial viability of many PCTs caused by the move to ‘payment by results’, improved chronic disease management initiatives are rolling out across the country. These initiatives make both clinical and financial sense, and provide nurses and pharmacists – through the medium of supplementary prescribing – the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their skills in this expanding arena.

Action research in nursing

The present work is of theoretical character and its basic aim is to demonstrate the essence of the action research, analysed from the point of view of the theoretical and practical nursing. Indirectly, the assumption is to show the possibilities of influencing the quality of nursing care through the purposeful and systematic reference to this strategy. Available nursing publications in English stress that the action research (as applied research) is a strategy adopted by both theoreticians and practitioners. It is a way to seek solutions to actual problems that appeared while the professional tasks were carried out. The problem is solved immediately where it originated, mainly by the practitioners who can access the knowledge and experience of the theoreticians (researchers). The practitioners approach the theoreticians to take up a specific research procedure in order to determine the essence of the difficulty they have come across in their work with the subject of care, its causes and the chances of its elimination or possible reduction by using the capacities the theoreticians (researchers) have at their disposal. This requires implementation of certain methods, used to gather information about the problem as well as to process it.

Complementary therapy practice: defining the role of advanced nurse practitioners

The purpose of the study was to identify the current and perceived clinical role functions of advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) within the complementary health paradigm and their learning needs. Participants were asked to identify their referral practices to complementary practitioners, current and perceived clinical activities with respect to six most popular complementary therapies, learning needs and concerns regarding their use. A random sample of 389 ANPs registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario participated in a mailed survey using a modified Dillman approach, an established method for improving response rate through repeated mailings. An overall response rate of 55.3% (215 out of 389 eligible participants) was achieved. The results show that ANPs are currently engaged in clinical activities involving these therapies, with a trend towards more participation in assessing the need for them and counselling on the risks and benefits. ANPs are interested in validating the use of these therapies and acquiring more knowledge on the scientific principles, evidence of efficacy, pharmacology and potential interactions with conventional medicine.

Nurse practitioner: reflecting on the future

The role of the nurse practitioner was first conceptualized in the late 1960s. Today, there are approximately 70,000 nurse practitioners in practice, they receive third-party insurance reimbursements, and they are in many specialty practices, as well as working in primary care practices promoting health and disease prevention. In the future, economics will shape our health care industry, placing a greater demand for nurse practitioners in this trillion-dollar marketplace. This article explores the evolving role of the nurse practitioner in education, practice, and research to meet the challenges of the health care needs into the 21st century.

Providers issue brief: scope of practice and prescriptive authority: year end report-2002

Nonphysician providers continue to achieve enhanced stature, in part by gaining more autonomy in prescribing drugs. There is growing support for the concept that the public health is best served by the broadest access to primary care along with the safe use of pharmaceuticals. The states continue in their efforts to find ways to promote the use of less specialized and less costly providers to help serve the ever-growing population who have access to health care services.