Pulmonary nurse specialists: preparation for the advanced practice role

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Respiratory Care
• Healthcare Professionals

Background:

• Specialization in pulmonary nursing is crucial for addressing the growing burden of respiratory diseases.
• Understanding factors influencing nurses' career choices in pulmonary nursing is essential for workforce development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing nurses' decisions to specialize in pulmonary nursing.
• To explore perceptions of medical-surgical nurses toward pulmonary nursing as a specialty.

Main Methods:

• A survey questionnaire was administered to 113 medical-surgical nurses across three healthcare facilities.
• The questionnaire assessed biographic variables and perceptions of pulmonary nursing using a semantic differential scale.
• Data analysis compared nurses with and without prior experience with pulmonary clinical specialists.

Main Results:

• Thirty percent of nurses expressed a desire to work with pulmonary patients, showing significantly positive perceptions (p = 0.0001).
• Nurses who had worked with a pulmonary clinical specialist reported more positive impressions of pulmonary patient care (p = 0.044).
• A small group (13 nurses) interested in pulmonary nurse specialist preparation also demonstrated positive perceptions (p = 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Positive perceptions and exposure to pulmonary clinical specialists are key factors influencing interest in pulmonary nursing.
• Findings suggest a need for targeted educational initiatives and mentorship to encourage specialization in pulmonary nursing.
• Further research is recommended to explore barriers and facilitators for pulmonary nurse specialist career development.