Exploring nurse practitioners' views on the key elements shaping their professional identities within interspecialty...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Professional Identity
• Healthcare Systems

Background:

• Nurse practitioners (NPs) play a crucial role in team-based care, bridging nursing and physician practices.
• Understanding NP perspectives on their professional identity is essential but currently lacking.
• This study explores how NPs perceive their profession and professional identity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the subjective viewpoints of nurse practitioners regarding their professional identity.
• To identify the key elements that define the professional identity of nurse practitioners.
• To understand how NPs perceive their role within the healthcare system.

Main Methods:

• Q methodology was employed, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• 41 nurse practitioners from diverse specialties in Taiwan participated.
• Participants ranked 61 statements about advanced nursing practice identity, with data analyzed using R software to identify viewpoints.

Main Results:

• Four distinct viewpoints emerged among 36 participating NPs.
• These viewpoints centered on team-based care, role acknowledgment, legislative recognition, and physician collaboration.
• Results indicate a interplay between internal self-perception and external perceptions of NPs.

Conclusions:

• NP professional identity is multifaceted, requiring diverse educational approaches.
• Curricula should emphasize sub-specialty knowledge, recognition, resilience, and collaboration.
• These elements are crucial for preparing NPs and fostering positive professional identities.