Progress and challenges for advanced practice nursing in Mexico and the United Kingdom

The aim of this study is to compare the advanced practice nursing development in Mexico with the United Kingdom.

In spite of the involvement of global and local bodies to establish and develop advanced practice nursing worldwide, progress remains variable due to the lack of homogeneity in health care systems and policies.

Using thematic analysis from interviews of 29 health care professionals in Mexico, we identified four major issues that impact on the development of advanced practice nursing: (a) workforce, (b) organizational and institutional, (c) regulatory and legal and (d) academic and educational.

Learning from the UK experience in relation to overcoming some of these issues has been insightful in terms of how advanced practice nursing skills in Mexican nurses can be developed.

Mexico is still in early stages of the development of APN. Based on the UK experience, the government may have to move forward to support higher level training, create labour market positions, establish new nursing functions, promote task-shifting and particularly implement solid regulation.

The development of advanced practice nursing represents important challenges for training and practice of nursing in Mexico and the United Kingdom; therefore, interested actors will have to reach key agreements that could work as the foundations of an assertive planning process.