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The Steering Committee of the Remote Area Nurse Practitioner Project, which was convened in 1998, established the foundations for an education program to prepare nurse practitioners in Western Australia. One of the recommendations from that committee was that nurse practitioner aspirants must complete an appropriate postgraduate diploma, accredited by the Nurses Board of Western Australia. Originally, the focus of the nurse practitioner project was on introducing nurse practitioners only into designated remote areas. However, in 2001 the scope of the project was expanded, which removed the restrictions limiting the role to remote area nurses. Expanding the scope to include a diverse range of specialty fi elds of practice had implications for education and curriculum development.

The Department of Health’s commitment to the education of nurse practitioners in Western Australia is substantial. In 2002, the Department of Health called for tenders for an education program to prepare nurse practitioners, offering 60 full-time-equivalent scholarships over three years. Curtin University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery was successful in winning that tender with an innovative curriculum proposal.

The development of the curriculum employed a collaborative and consultative process with key stakeholders and content experts. It was considered that a generic curriculum, which allowed students to relate the theoretical concepts to their fi eld of clinical practice (Reveley & Walsh, 2000), was a feasible model. The philosophy underpinning this decision was that the commonalities across the spectrum of nursing are greater than the differences (Reveley & Walsh, 2000). The resultant program was the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Specialisation (Nurse Practitioner), which has been accredited by the Nurses Board of Western Australia. The Postgraduate Diploma includes a spectrum of topics to facilitate the professional socialisation and clinical expansion of nurse practitioners. The units of study include professional issues, pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics, diagnostics, leadership, research and an innovative clinical internship. The internship is completed in the student’s area of specialisation under the preceptorship of medical practitioners and faculty staff. It was felt that the internship was essential for the acquisition of higher-level knowledge and skills required for nurses to function at an expanded level of practice. The internship also provided an avenue for the evaluation of knowledge and skill synthesis as well as the assessment of clinical competence (Price et al., 1992).

Criteria for entrance into the program were set in accordance with the recommendations from the Steering Committee of the Remote Area Nurse Practitioner Project (Health Department of Western Australia, 2000), the Nurses Board of Western Australia and the University. Applicants must have a minimum of three years post- registration clinical nursing experience with at least two years in a specialty fi eld of practice. Post-registration education in the student’s fi eld of practice is desirable and is considered in the selection process.

Students enter the program with extensive clinical experience and a high level of expertise. However, as students embark on the process of acquiring the new role of nurse practitioner, through education and then

implementation, they may experience role transitions (Brykczynski, 2000). The shift from expert to novice experienced during their role development, coupled with the rigor of the program, can be challenging for some students. However, the aim of the theoretical component of the program is to facilitate the professional socialisation, expand the student’s knowledge, increase their level of inquiry, and develop complex problem- solving skills. The clinical internship facilitates the synthesis of theory into practice and provides a supported environment for the implementation of the new role. Support during the role transition in the work environment will be an important strategy of the implementation of the nurse practitioner role.

The education program for the preparation of nurse practitioners was implemented at Curtin University of Technology in July 2003 and there are 60 students currently enrolled. It has taken six years from the inception of the Remote Area Nurse Practitioner Project in early 1998 to this phase of implementation. Nurse practitioners will face challenges as they cross professional boundaries into areas of practice that have not previously been recognised or acknowledged within the scope of nursing practice (Buppert, 1995). The educational preparation offered by Curtin University of Technology will prepare students with the professional skills and knowledge to be able to meet this challenge, expand their professional boundaries and provide better health services to clients. A career pathway for clinical nurse experts has been created with the introduction of the role of nurse practitioner in Western Australia and the development of an education program to meet the needs of this cohort.

References

Brykczynski, K. A. (2000). Role development of the advanced practice nurse. In A. B. Hamric, J. A. Spross & C. M. Hanson (Eds.),

Advanced nursing practice: An integrated approach (2nd ed., pp. 107-134). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company.

Buppert, C. K. (1995). Justifying nurse practitioner existence: Hard facts to hard fi gures. Nurse Practitioner, 20(8), 43-48. Health Department of Western Australia. (2000). Remote area nurse practitioner project report 2000. Perth: Author.

Price, M. J., Martin, A. C., Newberry, Y. G., Zimmer, P. A., Brykcznski, K. A., & Warren, B. (1992). Developing national guidelines for nurse practitioner education: An overview of the product and the process. Journal of Nursing Education, 31(1), 10-15. Reveley, S., & Walsh, M. (2000). Preparation for advanced nursing roles. Nursing Standard, 14(3), 42-45.

The fi rst Nurse Practitioner Students’ Conference was held on 18 November 2003, at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Curtin University of Technology. The purpose of the conference was to provide students with a forum where the following objectives could be achieved:

• Provide an avenue for students’ participation in conferences;

• Identify the main issues associated with the role of the nurse practitioner; and

• Recognise the importance of professional gathering as a means of personal and professional growth. As the fi rst student conference of this kind in the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Specialisation (Nurse Practitioner) program, it was considered that embarking upon the development of the conference and preparing a book of proceedings was an opportunity to provide an important snapshot of the current issues and concerns identifi ed by nurse practitioner candidates in Western Australia.

A variety of topics presented at the conference related to the role of the nurse practitioner and highlighted critical issues such as professional boundaries and accountability. Presenters discussed issues related to ‘designated’ areas, legal concerns, education and prescribing authority. Students also provided an insight into the politics and nature of the role of nurse practitioners. The presentations were a challenging experience for students, who made an extraordinary effort to present papers of a high standard. This worthwhile experience was shared with key members of nursing and health authorities, who have supported the introduction of the nurse practitioner program in Western Australia. This exciting and stimulating conference gave students the opportunity to refl ect on their personal challenges as future nurse practitioners and raised their awareness of their political role. It also gave students the opportunity to refl ect on the importance of establishing different models of care for patients and families, as well as reinforcing the importance of their collaborative role in the health care team. The future role of appropriate education for nurse practitioners and the need for research was also highlighted. These points were also reinforced by the keynote speaker, Dr Phillip Della, who emphasised the legal implications attached to the role of nurse practitioner in Western Australia.

The conference set the seeds for the professional development of nurse practitioners, which has already been materialised in this edition of The Nurse Practitioner Series. Subsequent conferences will challenge future students and foster a broad view of the professional role of nurse practitioners.

The First Nurse Practitioner Students’ Conference: