ABSTRACT
Introduction 1 Background 1 History and development of advanced nurse practitioner roles 4 Defining the practice of advanced nurse practitioners 7 Educational preparation of advanced nurse practitioners 10 Future issues 13 Conclusion 16 Acknowledgement 17 References 17
The decision by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in 2005 to support the regulation of the advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) role has major implications that will prompt significant debate. For the first time in United Kingdom (UK) history the regulatory council agreed that an advanced part of the nursing register should be opened. For the many nurses who have been leading and developing advanced nursing roles in the past 20 years throughout the UK, this was a welcome verdict. There is compelling evidence to suggest that ANPs contribute significantly to health care delivery (Horrocks et al. 2002, Laurant et al. 2004a) and clarifying the concept of ‘advanced nursing practice’ will facilitate further innovation. However, despite this decision being centrally relevant, it will have profound repercussions.
