Decisions behind career choice for nurse practitioners: independent versus collaborative practice and...

Nurse practitioners (NPs) can take an active role in defining and establishing their careers. Prepared as advanced practice nurses with specific assessment skills, primary care NPs have the opportunity to become independent or collaborative practitioners. This report examines the published work in the area of practice choice and motivational-needs behavior. Interviews with collaborative and independent primary care NPs were conducted. Against the framework of well-established personality testing methods, open-ended interview questions were developed to elicit specific motivational-needs-based behavior characteristics. The motivational needs examined included the need for achievement, power, and affiliation. The interview findings were then synthesized using needs-based behavior theory. This new platform for role decision ultimately can prepare NPs to make informed career choices.