The perceptions of registered nurses on role expansion

In 1992, the statutory body for nursing in England, the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC), acknowledged the continuing changing environment that practitioners were working in and published the 'Scope of Professional Practice' (UKCC 1992). This document is arguably the emergent result of the last three decades of change in nursing and could be cited alongside modification in medical training, as well as recruitment and retention problems, as reasons why nurses were expanding their role. However, the effects of these changes and the impact of 'Scope' have yet to be assessed in clinical practice. In this paper a qualitative study investigating the perceptions of nurses working in a regional cardiology centre of their role changes is reported, and offers an insight into the demands of nurses and the impact of the changing practice environment. This paper is a synopsis of a presentation given at a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) conference on 17 October 1997 in Birmingham.