The Nurse Practitioner Role in Taiwan: A Qualitative Comparison Between Nurse Practitioners' and Nurse Administrators' Perceptions

Monday, 22 July 2013

Chuan-Yu Hu, MSN, NP1
Yi Liu, PhD, RN2
Mei-Hsing Chen, MSN, RN1
(1)Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
(2)College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand the role of nurse practitioner (NP) in Taiwan.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to compare the similar and different perceptions between NPs and nurse administrators on the role of advanced practice nurse.

Purpose: In Taiwan the licensure system for nurse practitioners (NPs) did not start until 2007. The development of NP role is still not mature. The expectations of nurse administrators and NPs on NP's advanced practice nursing role are often different. The aim of this study was to investigate the similar and different perceptions between NPs and nurse administrators regarding the advanced practice role.

Methods: Three NP focus group interviews were conducted in southern Taiwan. Each group was consisted of 4-6 NPs. A total of 16 NPs participated. Another focus group was conducted with 6 nursing administrators from three hospitals. The interview for each group lasted about 2 hours. The audio recording was transcribe and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: The qualitative analysis revealed two main themes:(a) ideal and reality and (b) collaborator or outsider. Similarities and differences were compared consistently across both themes.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the need to enhance the communication between NPs and nurse administrators. An organizational culture that supports NP’s advanced nursing roles should be established. Nurse administrators should negotiate with physicians regarding the different expectations of NP’s roles so that NPs would not be overburdened by the demands from both sides. NPs should reexamine their nursing identity and develop better communication skills for negotiating about the workload or work contents.