Is there a role for an advanced practitioner in UK military prehospital care?

Recruitment and retention of doctors have been highlighted as some of the leading causes of the current perceived crisis within civilian emergency care. Indeed, the NHS recognises the contribution made by other healthcare professionals by supporting accreditation in advanced practice to mitigate the risks associated with these capability gaps. Consequently, roles such as the advanced clinical practitioner are now well established. Previous research and clinical experience in the civilian sector suggest that the advanced practitioner (AP) role could be used within Defence. Operationally, the role could be advantageous for the Defence Medical Services in the delivery of deployed healthcare. However, there is no available research that defines the role of UK military APs and, more specifically, their potential to support deployed prehospital care. Further work is required to determine how an AP might be effectively used within the military prehospital patient care pathway.

Competencies of military nurse managers: A scoping review and unifying framework

Aim(s)

To identify competencies of military nurse managers and develop a unifying framework of military nurse managers’ competencies.

Background

Military nurse managers shoulder multiple responsibilities because of duality roles, and they should possess competencies that enable them to manage human and material resources during peacetime and wartime. Therefore, nursing management within military context is demanding, such that a comprehensive understanding of their competencies is needed for effective military nursing management. Although relevant studies have focused on different military branches and different levels of managers, there is no standard evaluation framework.

Evaluation

A scoping review of studies focusing on competencies of military nurse managers from seven databases was carried out.

Key issues

Nine studies were included in this review, and a framework consisting of six domains of military nurse managers’ competencies was identified: clinical expertise, role model, leadership competencies, human competencies, financial competencies and deployment competencies.

Conclusion

Existing knowledge of competencies of military nurse managers is limited, and a comprehensive understanding of this topic can provide direction for future work.

Implications for Nursing Management

Military nurse managers play substantial roles within the military nursing context. A unifying framework can facilitate personnel recruitment and competency measurement, as well as training protocol development.