Maximizing nurse practitioners' contributions to primary care through organizational changes.

Abstract

The nurse practitioner (NP) workforce represents a considerable supply of primary care providers able to contribute to meeting a growing demand for care. However, organizational barriers hinder their optimal use. This article presents reports from 592 NPs on their roles, organizational support available to them, relationships between NPs and administration, their job satisfaction, and intentions of leaving their jobs. Nurse practitioners reported deficits in organizational context of care, problematic deployment of resources, and unfavorable working relationships with administrators. Addressing these challenges and creating work environments conducive to NP practice are necessary to fully exploit the capacity of the NP workforce.