New research from Corinne Dunningham explores the current evidence surrounding the skills and expertise of Emergency Nurse Practitioners and how they can be better understood and utilised across Australia.
“Emergency Nurse Practitioners are highly educated and experienced clinicians, but the way they work can vary considerably between states and healthcare organisations,” she says.
Despite being nationally registered as health practitioners since 2010, Emergency Nurse Practitioners often work under state-based legislation and individual organisational models of care.
“This can limit workforce mobility, and it means that the full capabilities of Emergency Nurse Practitioners are not always recognised or utilised within the wider emergency healthcare workforce,” she explains.
To address this, Corinne conducted a review to better understand existing research into Australian Emergency Nurse Practitioner scope of practice.
“Scope of practice, which describes an individual’s competency, confidence and education, has never been officially mapped for Emergency Nurse Practitioners.”
“The review highlighted an absence of research into the scope of practice of Emergency Nurse Practitioners in the emergency department environment,” she says.
“Most of the research was also outdated, fragmented and omitted large areas of practice. For example, rural and remote voices were largely absent, as were those working in private emergency departments.”
Corinne’s next step will be to conduct a benchmarking study and develop a framework for the translation of Emergency Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice capability.
“Ultimately, I hope this research will contribute to a transparent national framework that helps other healthcare professionals understand Emergency Nurse Practitioner capabilities and supports their work across the Australian healthcare system.”
