Navigating Population Foci and Implications for Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice

Nurses' perceptions regarding their own professionalism attributes to quality neonatal, infant and under-5 childcare

BACKGROUND

Professional nurses are trained to provide quality care. Despite the professional nurses' acquired skill and professionalism attributes, the neonate, infant, and under-5-child mortality rates are high in sub-Saharan Africa. This health care report indicates that sub-Saharan Africa countries face a challenge in reaching the Sustainable Development Goal number 3 by the year 2030 (that is, ensuring healthy lives and reducing the mortality rates of children under 5). It has been reported that professionalism in nursing can improve the quality of care and positively change the health outcomes.

METHODS

This study employed a qualitative exploratory, descriptive design to explore and describe professional nurses' own professionalism attributes to provide quality care to neonates, infants, and under-5 children in the North West province in South Africa. Eight naïve sketches of an all-inclusive sample of invited professional nurses (N = 25; n = 8) were received. The naïve sketch questions were based on the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's professionalism attributes. Tesch's eight steps of data-analysis were used, with an independent coder's assistance.

RESULTS

The categories included (1) knowledge, (2) spirit of inquiry, (3) accountability, (4) autonomy, (5) advocacy, (6) collegiality and collaboration, (7) ethics and values, and (8) professional reputation, and each category generated sub-themes.

CONCLUSION

Professional nurses are aware of their own professionalism attributes in quality of care of neonates, infants and under-5 children; the 'innovation and visionary' attribute did not emerge, which should receive more attention to strengthen quality care. However, a new attribute, 'professional reputation', reflecting a South African culture-orientated attribute, emerged from the data collected.

Advancement of research on nurse practitioners: Setting a research agenda

BACKGROUND

Primary care delivered by nurse practitioners (NPs) helps to meet the United States' growing demand for care and improves patient outcomes. Yet, barriers impede NP practice. Knowledge of these barriers is limited, hindering opportunities to eliminate them.

PURPOSE

We convened a 1.5-day conference to develop a research agenda to advance evidence on the primary care NP workforce.

METHODS

Thirty experts gathered in New York City for a conference in 2022. The conference included plenary sessions, small group discussions, and a prioritization process to identify areas for future research and research questions.

DISCUSSION

The research agenda includes top-ranked research questions within five categories: (a) policy regulations and implications for care, quality, and access; (b) systems affecting NP practice; (c) health equity and the NP workforce; (d) NP education and workforce dynamics, and (e) international perspectives.

CONCLUSION

The agenda can advance evidence on the NP workforce to guide policy and practice.

Meeting the need for nurse practitioner clinicals: A survey of practitioners

BACKGROUND

The increase in the number of nurse practitioner (NP) students requires increased clinical practice sites and prepared preceptors.

PURPOSE

This study describes NPs' clinical experiences as a student and their current practices as an NP preceptor.

METHODOLOGY

A descriptive study design used a 38-item web-based survey conducted in June and July 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 334 NPs practicing in Texas responded; most had been NPs for 10 or fewer years (58.2%) and in their positions less than 5 years (50.3%). A plurality of respondents was required to find their own clinical placements (46%). The most common challenge in obtaining clinical placements was finding preceptors (33%). Nurse practitioners reported excellent clinical experiences (39.3%) as a student and believed that they were generally well prepared for the NP role (38.9%) and to care for their specialty patient population (46.1%) upon graduation. Sixty percent of respondents reported not currently precepting, 37.6% had never been asked to precept, whereas 32.8% reported that employers restricted precepting. Family NPs were the least likely to precept.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse practitioners report positive clinical experiences that prepare them for NP careers. Multiple opportunities exist to enlist additional NPs as preceptors for NP students.

IMPLICATIONS

There is capacity within the current NP workforce to meet the clinical educational needs of NP students. Future work should examine best practices to engage NPs who are not currently preceptors. As policies change NP education, research should examine the implications of the preparation for NP roles at the time of graduation, organizational outcomes, and quality of care.