Table 2 APNs’ competency domains
Main themes | Categories | Codes/responsibility domain including work tasks |
|---|---|---|
1. Direct care practice competency (Competency to implement holistic care to patients following nursing procedures to achieve health goals or specific health outcomes.) | Patient health assessment | Interview Systematic physical examination Observe changes in the patient's condition |
Nursing decision-making | Identify patient’s health problems Assessing the potential and existing risk factors to patients’ health, and actively providing appropriate prevention and treatment measures/health education for disease Interpret, analyze and reach alternative conclusions about patients’ health conditions Utilize medical equipment in an appropriate and accurate manner Undertake Specialized nursing skills safely | |
Nurse-patient relationship establishment | Creating external circumstances in patient encounters Creating a safe relationship Counselling of patients and their families. | |
2. Research competency (Ability to identify clinical practice problems, to participate in conducting research solutions.) | Identification research questions | Reflect on own actions Analyze and evaluate own work continuously |
Research implementations | Literature retrieval Design research scheme Executing research project | |
Solving clinical problem with Scientific thinking | Reading and applying medical and nursing-related professional literature to clinical care | |
3.Professional development (Ability to take active responsibility for one’ own professional development and promoting organization’s professional development) | Promoting individual development | publishing articles Identify individual development goal Keeps up-to-date knowledge Continually develop own competence |
Promoting professional development | Generate a creative learning environment Develop colleagues’ competence Participates in the development and implementation of health promotion program Share any issue or problem | |
4.Organization and management (Ability to collaborates with healthcare team members in order to ensure care quality and patient ‘s safety) | Multi- professional teamwork | Find solutionsActs as a link between the different professionals Professional support and cooperation between APN |
Safety and risk management | Quality control and management Improving routines Assesses the system risk Application of new techniques Evaluate the effects | |
5. Mentoring and consultation (Ability to supervise nursing students, junior nurses and other medical staff, and to provide health education and professional counseling to clients) | Patients’ health education | Assessing patients’ needs providing information to patients and families Seeking, giving, and receiving help aimed at aiding at patient |
Professional consultation to the service subjects | Consulting Advice giving Right to prescribe medication | |
Inter-professional mentoring | Consult other professional experts when required Teaching Guidance Knowledge transmitter Tutor health workers, university students Coach junior nurses | |
6. Ethical/ legal practice (Ability to provide nursing care in accordance with laws, regulations, and nursing ethics) | Legal/Ethical consciousness | Function in accordance with legislative and common law affecting nursing practice Serve as an advocate for the rights of clients |
Legal/Ethical practice | Put emphasis on patients’ own wishes Respect the patient’s right Adopt an ethical approach Carry out nursing practice according to legal requirements and organizational policy |