Clarifying the role of nursing in ambulatory care

There are so many issues and problems with the current delivery mode of nursing services in ambulatory care that the projection of trends for this arena is complex. One would hope that ambulatory care nurses would take a leadership role and issue a definitive position paper on the education, certification, and scope of practice for professional and technical nurses for the 21st century. One would also hope that the business of nursing could be strategically planned and marketed in a cost-efficient yet profitable manner to meet the needs of consumers, insurers, and providers. The future of nursing lies in the ability of ambulatory nurses to energize their practice and to take risks. The mandate is clear. Whether or not nurses are prepared to cast aside the traditional and risk the innovative remains to be seen.