Nurses and nurse practitioners. 1: Priorities in care

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Professions

Background:

• Perception of nurse practitioners (NPs) as solely focused on biomedical aspects.
• Debate on whether NPs prioritize technical care over holistic, psychosocial elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the assertion that nurse practitioners (NPs) focus on biomedical and technical aspects of healthcare.
• To compare the views of NP students and graduates with other nurses.

Main Methods:

• Comparative study design.
• Surveying nurse practitioner graduates and undergraduates.
• Surveying other nurses in continuing education courses.

Main Results:

• Findings challenge the perception of NPs as 'mini doctors'.
• Comparison of views between NP trainees and other nursing professionals.
• Results indicate a potentially different perspective than commonly assumed.

Conclusions:

• The study provides empirical data on nurse practitioner (NP) role perceptions.
• Highlights the importance of understanding NP scope and focus in healthcare.
• Suggests a need to re-evaluate common assumptions about nursing practice.