Population-based advanced practice nursing: where does oncology fit in?

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Regulation
• Advanced Practice Nursing

Background:

• A national work group convened in 2004 to address the future of advanced practice nursing.
• Experts in nursing education, certification, accreditation, and regulation aimed to create a consensus model for advanced practice nursing regulation.
• This initiative led to recommendations published in 2008, defining a new consensus model for advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a standardized model for the licensure, certification, and regulation of nurse practitioners.
• To address the increasing requests from state boards for recognition of nurse practitioner specialties.
• To align advanced practice nursing with the mission of meeting public healthcare needs and ensuring public protection.

Main Methods:

• Convening a national work group of experts in nursing education, certification, accreditation, and regulation.
• Developing a consensus model outlining six population-based focuses for advanced practice registered nurse practice.
• Publishing recommendations and defining the new regulatory model.

Main Results:

• A consensus model was established with six defined population-based focuses: family/individual across lifespan, adult/gerontology, neonatal, pediatrics, women's health/gender-related, and psychiatric/mental health.
• The model aimed to standardize education programs and credentialing processes for APRNs.
• The model supports nursing's mission to meet public healthcare needs and ensure public protection.

Conclusions:

• The consensus model offers advantages in standardizing advanced practice registered nurse education and regulation.
• The model's delineation into population-based focuses may not encompass all existing specialties, such as oncology.
• Further discussion is needed to address the inclusion of disease-specific or whole-person specialties within the regulatory framework.