Developing national guidelines for nurse practitioner education: an overview of the product and the process

In 1988, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties appointed an ad hoc education committee (AHEC) to review existing nurse practitioner (NP) education curricula and to formulate national guidelines. An overview of the new NP guidelines are presented along with the philosophy, content, objectives, and competencies that are viewed as the foundation for NP education today. The guidelines are presented within the structure outlined in Brykczynski's (1985) research about NP practice. Thus, as a "product" of the Advanced Nursing Practice: Nurse Practitioner Curriculum Guidelines (NPCG), a new NP graduate for the 1990s could be described as one who demonstrates beginning competencies in primary health care theory and research within the five domains of practice identified by Brykczynski.