About this book series
This Series of concise monographs, endorsed by the International Council of Nurses, explores various aspects of advanced practice nursing at the international level.
The ICN definition provided in the Guidelines on Advanced Practice Nursing 2020 (ICN, 2020) has been adopted for this series to define advanced practice nursing: "A
Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse is a registered nurse who has acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for expanded practice, the characteristics of which are shaped by the context and/or country in which they are credentialed to practice.” (ICN, 2020, p. 6). A Master's degree is required for entry level.
At the international level, the three most common levels of advanced practice nursing include three levels of clinical practice:
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice nurses who have integrated clinical skills associated with nursing and medicine in order to assess, diagnose and manage patients usually in primary healthcare (PHC) settings and acute care populations as well as ongoing care for populations with chronic illness (ICN, 2020). NPs usually have prescriptive authority and can make referrals to other healthcare professionals. Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) provide expert clinical advice and care based on established diagnoses in specialized clinical fields of practice along with a systems approach in practicing as a member of the healthcare team (ICN, 2020). Nurse Anesthetists (NAs) who are defined by the 2021 ICN Guidelines: A Nurse Anesthetist is an Advanced Practice Nurse who has the knowledge, skills and competencies to provide individualised care in anesthesia, pain management, and related anesthesia services to patients across the lifespan, whose health status may range from healthy through all levels of acuity, including immediate, severe, or life-threatening illnesses or injury (ICN, 2021).
The scope of practice and responsibilities that define these three categories of advanced practice nurses includes five interrelated components:
- Clinical practice
- Consultation
- Education
- Leadership
- Research
The monograph Series addresses four topics associated with advanced practice nursing:
- APNs in clinical practice (NPs, CNSs, NAs)
- Education and continuous professional development for advanced practice nurses
- Coordination and implementation issues related to advanced practice nursing
- Policy and regulation for advanced practice nursingThe contributing authors represent international experts in their field along with representation from the ICN Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network.
They include clinicians, educators, policymakers and researchers.
Each book within the Series reflects the fundamentals of nursing which provides the foundation for advanced practice nursing. The aim is to promote evidence-informed advanced practice nursing.
- Electronic ISSN
- 2511-3925
- Print ISSN
- 2511-3917
