Collaborative strategic initiative between a university and hospital network group: Advanced nurse/midwife practice forum.

Abstract

The Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, one of a few nursing and midwifery faculties worldwide, was established in 1974 by Ms Mary Frances Crowley, for postgraduate nursing education, and is situated within the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University of Medicine and Health Sciences. The RCSI operates through a network group of university hospitals: Beaumont, Connolly, Drogheda, Cavan, Monaghan and the Rotunda. Combined these hospitals have 120 registered and candidate ANP/AMPs and caters for general, psychiatric, children and maternity patients/clients. The drive to establish the forum between the faculty and the six Dublin hospitals was to build capacity among advanced nurse practitioners and advanced midwife practitioners (ANP/AMPs) who are seen as intelligent consumers of evidence-based research and safe practice. The SCAPE report identified research as the single domain that was underdeveloped within the ANP role, in the study exploring the role of ANPs and CNSs. Latterly, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland highlighted research as a vital component of the ANP/AMP role in its standards for advanced nurse and midwife practice. The faculty acted collaboratively to introduce an ANP/AMP forum to support advanced practitioners working in the university hospital group in their education and professional development, support the expansion of their knowledge base through practice-based enquiry and research and act as a conduit for interactions between ANPs/AMPs by keeping them up to date with practice and research. The Initiation phase was undertaken through a survey of needs; Implementation phase by extensive literature review and research-based newsletters sent to individuals by the forum coordinator; and the Evaluation phase through focus groups.