Original Article Development of the Nurse Practitioner

This article describes the context and development of the new Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice in Australia, which went into effect in January 2014. The researchers used a mixed-methods design to engage a broad range of stakeholders who brought both political and practice knowledge to the development of the new standards. Methods included interviews, focus groups, surveys, and work-based observation of nurse practitioner practice. Stakeholders varied in terms of their need for detail in the standards. Nonetheless, they invariably agreed that the standards should be clinically focussed attributes. The pillars common in many advanced practice nursing standards, such as practice, research, education, and leadership, were combined and expressed in a new and unique clinical attribute. Keywords advanced nursing practice, certification/accreditation, regulation of nursing practice In July 2010, Australia moved to a national registration process for all health practitioners under the auspices of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and encompassing several regulatory boards, including the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australi