The Australian College of Nurse Practitioners, the peak body for nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses in Australia, is running a national campaign to raise the profile of nurse practitioners in Australia.
The Transforming Health Care initiative aims to provide valuable information to the public about the benefits of having nurse practitioners as part of your usual health care team; and to advise the healthcare sector about the advantages of increasing access to nurse practitioners across inpatient, outpatient and community settings.
Whilst the title and specific role is relatively new, nurse practitioner numbers have expanded and now provide vital health care in all states and territories across Australia.
Nurse practitioners are experienced in a wide array of clinical specialties and the role is a natural progression for the advanced practice level of nursing, the experience, skill and education necessary to improve health outcomes.
As the demand for accessible health increases, the focus of the campaign is to promote knowledge of the role and the potential to address improved accessibility for all; bridging gaps not only in regional, rural and remote locations, but also addressing gaps in services in metropolitan areas and those clinical specialty areas where extensive waiting times are a reality.
Transforming Health Care – the awareness campaign – aims to widen the knowledge of nurse practitioner scope of practice and capability to ensure that all consumers of health are given clear and informed information about their choices as they journey forwards.
Read more about the role of nurse practitioners around Australia and the world here.