The development of a Swedish Nurse Practitioner Program – a request from clinicians and a process supported by US experience

Abstract

High nursing turnover and a shortage of nurses in acute hospital settings in Sweden challenge health care systems to deliver and ensure safe care. Advanced nursing roles implemented in other countries have offered nurses new career opportunities and had positive effects on patient safety, effectiveness of care, and patient satisfaction. The advanced nursing position of Nurse Practitioner has existed for many years in the United States, while similar extended nursing roles and changes in the scope of nursing practice are being developed in many other countries. In line with this international trend, the role of Nurse Practitioner in surgical care has been proposed for Sweden, and a master’s programme for Acute Nurse Practitioners has been in development for many years. To optimize and facilitate the introduction of this new nursing role and its supporting programme, we elicited the experiences and support of the group who developed a Nurse Practitioner programme for a university in the US. This paper describes this collaboration and sharing of experiences during the process of developing a Swedish Nurse Practitioner programme. We also discuss the challenges of implement- ting any new nursing role in any national health care system. We would like to share our collaborative experiences and thoughts for the future and to open further national and international dialogue about how best to expand the scope of practice for nurses in acute hospital care, and thereby to improve patient care in Sweden and elsewhere.