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Welcome to Advanced Practice Nursing

The scope of nursing practice is evolving in response to ever-changing social, economic, and health care environments. Nurses in Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) roles integrate education, research, management, leadership, and consultation into clinical roles that share competencies with other disciplines.

Vision

Advanced Practice Nursing fosters clinical excellence in specialty areas and through leadership, education, consultation and research activities contributes an academic practice environment for Nursing services at The Ottawa Hospital.

Background

In 1999, the newly merged Ottawa Hospital established the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) task force with a mandate to describe advanced nursing practice and to develop a framework for implementation of these roles.

Following comprehensive review, the task force members recommended the following:

1. Advanced Practice Nurse roles will encompass five components:
   1. Clinical practice
   2. Consultation
   3. Education
   4. Leadership
   5. Research
2. Masters degree in nursing or a related discipline is required.
3. Matrix reporting structure to the Clinical Director and the Chief of Nursing.
4. Development of criteria and a consultative service to assist clinical programs with the evaluation of new APN roles at TOH.

De Grasse, C, Nicklin W. Advanced Nursing Practice: Old Hat, New Design. Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership, 14(4)(dec. 2001):7-12.
Reprinted with permission of the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership. from the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership.

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