The clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner: core curriculum survey results

The fall 1986 newsletters of the Council of Clinical Nurse Specialists (CCNS) and the Council of Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioners (CPHCNP) featured an editorial examining the similarities and differences between the advanced practice roles of the nurse practitioner and the clinical nurse specialist. The article, entitled "Editorial on Specialization in Advanced Nursing Practice" and written by Patricia Sparacino, MS, RN, chairperson CCNS, and Barbara A. Durand, EdD, RN, FAAN, of the CPHCNP appeared in Momentum, Volume 4, Number 2/1986, and Newsletter, Volume 9, Number 2/1986. This initial exploration into advanced practice roles in nursing elicited a wide variety of responses from affiliates of both councils which, in turn, prompted the executive committees of both groups to convene a joint meeting. In the spring of 1987 the executive committees of the CCNS and the CPHCNP met to review affiliate response to the editioral, further explore concerns, and plan futher action. At that time it was decided to survey all nursing programs in the United States which provide graduate education for one or both of the advanced practice roles. It was hoped that the information gained from such a survey would provide a basis for future determinations. Survey data was compiled and presented to another joint meeting of the executive committees of the CCNS and the CPHCNP on October 3, 1989. This article reports the data, findings, and reactions of the executive committees of the councils in order to obtain feedback from our colleagues.