Professional practice groups for nursing

Professional nursing has been grappling with many different care delivery models in order to deal with a dramatic rise in patient acuity levels, increasing financial constraints, and a worrisome nursing shortage. A professional practice model may be developed as a way to provide a truly autonomous situation for nurses, and one that assures quality care for patients. Nursing practice, education, and research would be interdependent, and competition among professional practice groups for the most educationally and experientially prepared nurses would foster a public perception of professionalism and prestige. This article describes the model, its applicability to current issues in nursing and health care, and its potential for recruitment and retention of nurses.