Family nurse practitioners in Botswana: challenges and implications

In 1981 Botswana established a one-year post-basic programme at the National Health Institute to prepare nurses to provide comprehensive primary health care services. The 80-odd graduates (as of 1989), called Family Nurse Practitioners, have been so competent in the clinic and willing to serve in even the remotest of communities that they are in high demand throughout Botswana's health care system. Below, a report on their expanding role and their educational needs.