Extended, expanded, multi-skilled or advanced practice?--rural nurses in Australia, 1991-1994

Rural nurses in Australia predominantly work in an advanced practice role and their scope of practice is determined by the number and type of health professionals who work full-time or part-time in the health service. This paper presents the results of a discourse analysis, using Foucault's framework, of rural nurses in Australia, 1991-1994. It argues that the use of the statements 'extended nursing practice', 'expanded nursing practice', and 'multi-skilled nurses' continues to subjugate rural nursing practice to more dominant discourses such as medicine, pharmacy and radiography. It proposes the term advanced rural nursing practice be used to refer to the generalist scope of nursing practice in rural areas.