RCN: The levels of nursing: setting definitions and standards for nursing practice beyond registration.

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Royal College of Nursing (2024) RCN Professional Development Framework – Enhanced Level Nursing. London: RCN.

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Royal College of Nursing (2024) RCN Professional Development Framework – Advanced Level Nursing. London: RCN.

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Royal College of Nursing (2024) RCN Professional Development Framework – Consultant Level Nursing. London: RCN.

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Nursing and Midwifery Council (2025) Principles for advanced practice.

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NHS Wales (2023) Professional framework for enhanced, advanced and consultant clinical practice in Wales. Cardiff: Health Education and Improvement Wales.

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Palmer W, Julian S and Vaughan L (2023) Independent report on the regulation of advanced practice in nursing and midwifery. London: Nuffield Trust.

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College of Deans of Health: Advanced Practice.

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NHS England (2025) Multi-professional framework for advanced practice in England.

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International Council of Nurses (2020) Guidelines on advanced practice nursing. Geneva: ICN.

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NHS Scotland:  Advanced practice nursing toolkit

• A UK wide resource endorsed by the Chief Nursing Officers for each country.
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We would like to thank the RCN Advanced Nurse Practitioner member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.

Blair K (2018) Advanced practice nursing: core concepts for professional development. 6th edn. New York: Springer.

• Access through RCN Library

Joo Y and Gatewood J (eds.) (2024) Collins-Bride & Saxe's clinical guidelines for advanced practice nursing. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

• Access through RCN Library

DeNisco S M (2024) Advanced practice nursing: essential knowledge for the profession. 5th edn. London: Jones & Bartlett.

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Diamond-Fox S (2024) The advanced practitioner in acute, emergency and critical care. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.

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Fagerstrom L M (2021) A caring advanced practice nursing model: theoretical perspectives and competency domains. Cham: Springer.

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Fulton J S, Goudreau K A and Swartzell K L (eds.) (2020) Foundations of clinical nurse specialist practice. 3rd edn. New York: Springer.

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Goudreau K A and Smolenski M C (2022) Health policy and advanced practice nursing: impact and implications. 3rd edn. New York: Springer.

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McGee P and Inman C (2019) Advanced practice in nursing and allied health professions. 4th edn. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

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Peate I, Diamond-Fox S, and Hill B (2024) The advanced practitioner: a framework for practice. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.

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Staffileno B A, Murphy M P and Buchholz S W (2022) Research for advanced practice nurses: from evidence to practice. 4th edn. New York: Springer.

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Tracy M F, O’Grady E T and Phillips S J (2022) Hamric and Hanson’s advanced practice nursing: an integrative approach. 7th edn. Philadelphia: Saunders. 

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Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.

• Advanced practice
• Advanced practice role/nurse practitioner role
• Nurse practitioners

Use these links for details of journal articles on each topic.

• Acute and emergency nurse practitioners
• Advanced clinical practitioner
• Advanced practice role/nurse practitioner role
• Advanced practice
• Nurse practitioners and patient satisfaction
• Nurse practitioners and primary healthcare
• Role of the nurse practitioner in the hospital setting

Journals of interest for advanced nursing practice. Use these links to see details of availability.

• International Journal of Advanced Nursing Practice
• Journal of Advanced Nursing
• Journal of Prescribing Practice
• The Journal for Nurse Practitioners