9 Expert nurse — looking after the future
Resolution submitted by the RCN Islington Branch
That this meeting of RCN Congress urges government to safeguard the role of the expert nurse in the 21st century
- Work led by the Nursing Development Committee
- Lead RCN Council member: Jane Bovey
The debate on this item identified a need to help nurses, employers and the public to understand and articulate the nursing expertise at the heart of senior nursing roles — recognising the differences between experts, specialists, nurse practitioners, advanced practitioners and nurse consultants, and the major contributions such roles make to health care.
Under the umbrella of the RCN’s strategic theme Future nurse: future workforce, and linked to the timely consultations on modernising nursing careers, a number of work streams are underway. The first includes gathering evidence related to the impact of nursing expertise for a range of senior nursing roles. This evidence will be used to identify the key messages for simple and concise communication to nurses, health care employers, workforce planners and commissioners, the public and other key stakeholders.
Secondly, a series of stories and commentaries are under development for Nursing Standard and were due for publication in early 2008. Drawn from all four UK countries and across different specialisms, these showcase nursing expertise in operation and its impact.
The third area of activity involves the compilation of all internal RCN position papers written on the subject of expertise, advanced practice, specialist practice over the past fifteen years in order to inform future policy positions.
Finally, all relevant resources, standards, tools and competences are being brought together to assist nurses, employers and education providers support and develop nursing expertise — for the benefit of patients, service provision and the wider health care community — through work-based learning approaches.