The structure of nursing: a national examination of titles and practice profiles

Role delineation of advanced practice nursing: A cross-sectional study

AIMS

To identify the roles and activities of nurses, including advanced practice nursing (APN), and to determine nursing practice patterns across health facilities in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 207 nurses working in the Saudi health sector between November 2021 and March 2022 through an online questionnaire. The Advanced Practice Role Delineation tool was used to measure and delineate nursing practice patterns and activities. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. The study followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology reporting guidelines.

RESULTS

Findings showed that participants, regardless of their current role, reported high scores across all domains of practice. The highest average score was obtained for the Clinical Care domain. Except for the leadership domain, findings showed that those reported working as advanced practice nurses had higher average scores across all domains than those working as staff nurses or being in managerial/administrative positions. There were significant differences in the average Clinical Care scores between advanced practice nurses and staff nurses.

CONCLUSION

Advanced practice nursing roles and activities are being practised in Saudi Arabia; however, there is no clear delineation of these roles and activities according to a unified and national-level APN scope of practice.

IMPACTS

Advanced practice nursing roles are evolving in Saudi Arabia; however, no study has examined the existing patterns of APN activities in Saudi Arabia. This study highlights the practice patterns of advanced practice nurses and adds to the international evidence base on the need for delineating APN activities under a unified scope of practice. The findings of this study are beneficial to practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders as well as the legislative and regulatory bodies.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.

Stepwise Interactive Situated Training Program for Young Nurses’ Safety Behavior and Interrupted Coping Behavior

Young nurses’ safety behavior and interrupted coping behavior affect patient safety. A stepped, interactive and situated training program should be evaluated to assist young nurses in improving themselves. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the stepwise interactive situated training program on safety behavior and practice ability with respect to nursing interruptions for young nurses and its influencing factors. This was a quasi-experimental, one-group, self-control and pretest–post-test design study. Six hundred young nurses in two provinces were included. The participants underwent a stepwise interactive situated training program from March to August 2019. The program was delivered by designated head nurses and consisted of five themes: mobilization, theoretical training, operational training, specialized training and self-improvement. Five hundred and sixty-two young nurses completed this study. The safety behavior and the practice of nursing interruption were significantly higher after intervention than before. Professional titles, age and occupational time were the influence factors. The stepwise interactive situated training program was effective at improving young nurses’ safety behavior and interrupted coping behavior. Nurses with higher professional titles performed better with regard to the safety behavior and the practice of nursing interruption.

Advanced Practice Role Delineation Within Hong Kong: A Cross-sectional Study

A career ladder for nurses, including several levels of nursing practice and specific roles for advanced practice nurses, was introduced in Hong Kong around the turn of the century. To date no studies have distinguished the practices of advanced practice nurses in Hong Kong. This cross-sectional study, conducted between November 2020 and March 2021, aims to identify and differentiate the practice patterns of advanced practice nurses by utilizing the Advanced Practice Role Delineation tool. A total of 191 responses was obtained. Three roles were identified: nurse consultant, advanced practice nurse, and advanced practice nurse in management. From the advanced practice nursing domains, the nurses were most frequently involved in Education and Direct Comprehensive Care activities, while Research and Publication and Professional Leadership activities were the least utilized. Identifying activities in various nursing roles helps to differentiate their responsibilities and provides new insights for role utilization and support. Although the role characteristics are shaped by country contexts, research evidence on practice patterns may be used to support international discussion and efforts to promote role clarity and effective role introduction and optimization.

Advanced practice role delineation within Finland: A comparative descriptive study

AIM

To identify and differentiate the practice patterns of generalist, specialist and advanced practice nursing roles in specialist and central hospital contexts.

BACKGROUND

In Finland, as in other Nordic countries, advanced practice nursing roles emerged around 2000. There are over 60,000 registered nurses/midwives in Finland and the clinical career pathway from a registered nurse to advanced practice nurse has been described yet not fully implemented in healthcare organizations. However, the number and activities of nonadvanced and advanced practitioner roles are not well known.

DESIGN

A descriptive comparative study.

METHODS

An online self-report survey was conducted between August and October 2020 using an advanced practice role delineation tool. A census sample of registered nurses, registered midwives, specialist nurses and advanced practice nurses in five university hospitals and one central hospital was recruited. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the characteristics of participants and group differences were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The STROBE checklist was used as the reporting guideline.

RESULTS

A total of 1497 responses were obtained (response rate = 10%). Overall, nurses used comprehensive care and education activities most frequently. The least used activities were research and publication and professional leadership. Univariate analysis of variance test between role effects, when education and grouped age were taken into account, showed statistically significant difference in all of the observed five activities (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Identifying activities in different levels of nursing is a crucial first step in delineating nursing roles thus improving the governance of the human resource management.

IMPACT

The study results add to the international literature, delineating nursing roles in the spectrum of generalist to advanced practice nursing. As these roles become more formalized, we may incorporate novel ways of promoting the career development and optimal use and assessment of nursing roles and practice in various career levels.

Nurse practitioner work patterns: A cross-sectional study

AIM

The aim was to determine how nurse practitioner (NP) roles are translated into clinical practice across Victoria, Australia. This paper reports details about NP work patterns and scopes of practice across multiple clinical settings and geographic locations.

DESIGN

A quantitative survey design was used. A data abstraction tool, based on previous work, was adapted for this study.

METHODS

All NPs in one state of Australia were eligible to participate in the study and invited to complete an online survey about their NP practice. A previously developed data collection tool, capturing practice patterns of NPs, was adapted for online use in REDCAP. The data were exported, and descriptive statistics were analysed using SPSS.

RESULTS

Participants were mostly female, with males accounting for 25%. Findings indicate several NPs working in outpatient settings, community settings and forensic care. Patterns of practice-prescribing and ordering diagnostics-are associated with clinical context and model of care of the NP work.

Physical examination competence as a predictor of diagnostic reasoning among new advanced practice nurse students: a cross-sectional study

Aim: To investigate levels of diagnostic reasoning among new APN students as well as students' characteristic affecting such reasoning levels.Design: a descriptive correlational design.Methods: One hundred fourteen APN students in an advanced health assessment course self-assessed their competene in performing examination. The students' self-reported Diagnostic Reasoning Assessment scores were used to categorize them into pre-novice, novice, advanced beginner, and competent levels. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used.Results: Only physical examination competence significantly predicted the students' diagnostic reasoning levels. Being in a higher diagnostic reasoning level relative to being in a pre-novice, novice, or advanced beginner level was 16.1, 2.6, and 1.9 times greater in the physical examination competence, respectively.Conclusions: Promoting physical examination competence can be an effective teaching strategy for enhancing the diagnostic reasoning of newly enrolled APN students, especially for students who have poor diagnostic reasoning performance.

Manager, clinician or both? Nurse managers' engagement in clinical care activities

AIM

To explore the extent of Australian nurse managers' engagement in clinical care activities.

BACKGROUND

Hybrid nurse manager roles lack clarity in the optimal balance between the clinical and other activities, resulting in stress and challenges in recruiting and retaining nurse managers.

METHODS

In a national survey using the Advanced Practice Role Delineation tool, Australian nurses self-assessed their level of engagement in activities across five domains of nursing practice. The subset sample analysed comprised 2,758 registered nurses, 390 clinical (front-line) nurse managers and 43 organisational (middle) nurse managers. Median domain scores were compared with non-parametric tests of difference.

RESULTS

Clinical nurse managers were in a hybrid role, reporting high levels of engagement across the domains. Lower scores observed for organisational nurse managers highlight the shift to strategy-focussed activities that occurs as nurses up the management hierarchy.

CONCLUSIONS

By indicating their engagement in the clinical care domain, respondents demonstrated that clinically focused activities were not entirely lost from either front-line or middle-management roles.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers equipped with clinical and management skills, and allowed time to remain engage in clinical care activities are critical for patient-centred and cost-effective care in today's complex health care environments.

Enablers and Barriers to Registered Nurses Expanding Their Scope of Practice in Australia: A Cross-Sectional Study

A number of resources exist to assist registered nurses in Australia to determine their scope of practice; however, the ability of a professional nurse to expand his or her practice is highly context dependent. This article reports on barriers and enablers to expanding scope of practice, as identified by registered nurses across Australia. A cross-sectional survey administered online in 2016 returned 1,205 useable submissions. Results indicated that nurses wishing to expand their practice felt supported to do so by nursing colleagues and were aware of professional and regulatory documents relating to expanding scope of practice. Less support for this process was evident from other health professionals or employers. Respondents also indicated that they were motivated to expand their scope by professional satisfaction, potential for career advancement, and the desire to meet health service user's needs. The majority of respondents identified barriers to expanding scope of practice, including lack of remuneration and the absence of supportive guidelines. Respondents in the early stage of their careers were more likely to perceive organizational support for expanding their scope of practice. When required to expand their role, the majority of respondents indicated that they had undertaken additional training or accessed various resources to guide them in this process. Barriers to expanding nursing scope of practice can result in underutilization of the one of the greatest resources in the health care system. This article identifies a number of strategies that can facilitate role expansion to ensure that nursing continues to make a significant contribution to positive health service outcomes in Australia.

Students' Observations of the Nursing Role in Seven Nations

AIM

This exploratory, qualitative study was conducted to compare nursing tasks/roles in Ecuador, Finland, Ghana, Navajo Nation, Russia, Taiwan, and Tonga.

BACKGROUND

The definition of nurse varies internationally, with little description of the specific tasks nurses perform. To better know the profession, nurses must understand what their counterparts do in different parts of the world.

METHOD

Students and faculty traveled to seven nations to conduct an observational study. Students observed nurses (n = 71) over a period of three weeks using a checklist of basic tasks/skills, advanced skills, critical thinking, communication, public health, and professionalism.

RESULTS

Similarities in nursing tasks/roles were found, with a few stark differences between countries. Autonomy of practice and communication styles varied; all nurses were found to be effective patient advocates.

CONCLUSION

Sufficient nursing personnel, resources, patient load, and technology affect nursing tasks/roles.