Other Titles
Advanced practice nurses: Innovations in nursing education and practice
Abstract
Session presented on Monday, July 25, 2016:
Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of Nurse Practitioners (NP) in independent practice. The aim was to give NPs a voice to express their individual experience, provide an inductive description of the lived experience, and gain understanding of the essence of being an independent practitioner.
Methods: The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological inquiry was to explore the lived experience of the nurse practitioners in independent practice. A hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry was used to reveal the experiences from data grounded in the perceptions and experiences of nurse practitioners with this practice background. This research was guided by van Manen's (1990) phenomenological approach. Selecting a method of choice is a necessity that is guided by the research question and the purpose of the study. If a matter of frequency or significance motivates the research question, then a quantitative methodology must be used. Quantitative research is associated with positivism and a focus on the scientific method. The results are associated with generalizability and the epistemological assumption in quantitative research is that knowledge is objective and can be developed deductively from hypothesis testing. Hence, while quantitative inquiry is able to answer the 'what,' it fails to address the 'why' (Munhall, 2010). On the other hand, if the interest of the research question centers on what it is like to experience a phenomenon, then the approach must be qualitative. This is the case for this study: 'What is the lived experience of a nurse practitioner in independent practice?' Therefore, the chosen method for this study is van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology.
Results: From the experiences of the 17 NPs in independent practice, four themes were identified: questioning - dissatisfaction with traditional medical practice; self-directing - need for control; transforming - finding a niche; and achieving fulfillment. Findings were correlated using Starck's (1985) theory of meaning.
Conclusion: Nurse practitioners in this study assessed the changing health care market environment and found a way to improve personal and functional outcomes. They developed a creative process of carving out a small part of the health care market by aligning their unique skills to match the needs of a population whose health care needs were not being fulfilled. NPs in this study viewed having total control over their practice as a necessary component if they were to step out as an alternative provider of health care. Their determination and professional confidence in the desired result paid off with the result leading to a successful practice and a sense of achievement.
Sigma Membership
Beta Tau
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Independent Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Entrepreneurs, Social Enterprise
Recommended Citation
Waite, Annmarie V., "The lived experience of nurse practitioners in independent practice" (2016). INRC (Congress). 198.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2016/presentations_2016/198
Conference Name
27th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Conference Year
2016
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
The lived experience of nurse practitioners in independent practice
Cape Town, South Africa
Session presented on Monday, July 25, 2016:
Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of Nurse Practitioners (NP) in independent practice. The aim was to give NPs a voice to express their individual experience, provide an inductive description of the lived experience, and gain understanding of the essence of being an independent practitioner.
Methods: The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological inquiry was to explore the lived experience of the nurse practitioners in independent practice. A hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry was used to reveal the experiences from data grounded in the perceptions and experiences of nurse practitioners with this practice background. This research was guided by van Manen's (1990) phenomenological approach. Selecting a method of choice is a necessity that is guided by the research question and the purpose of the study. If a matter of frequency or significance motivates the research question, then a quantitative methodology must be used. Quantitative research is associated with positivism and a focus on the scientific method. The results are associated with generalizability and the epistemological assumption in quantitative research is that knowledge is objective and can be developed deductively from hypothesis testing. Hence, while quantitative inquiry is able to answer the 'what,' it fails to address the 'why' (Munhall, 2010). On the other hand, if the interest of the research question centers on what it is like to experience a phenomenon, then the approach must be qualitative. This is the case for this study: 'What is the lived experience of a nurse practitioner in independent practice?' Therefore, the chosen method for this study is van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology.
Results: From the experiences of the 17 NPs in independent practice, four themes were identified: questioning - dissatisfaction with traditional medical practice; self-directing - need for control; transforming - finding a niche; and achieving fulfillment. Findings were correlated using Starck's (1985) theory of meaning.
Conclusion: Nurse practitioners in this study assessed the changing health care market environment and found a way to improve personal and functional outcomes. They developed a creative process of carving out a small part of the health care market by aligning their unique skills to match the needs of a population whose health care needs were not being fulfilled. NPs in this study viewed having total control over their practice as a necessary component if they were to step out as an alternative provider of health care. Their determination and professional confidence in the desired result paid off with the result leading to a successful practice and a sense of achievement.