From the Back Cover
This book introduces readers to the basics of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN), which offers expanded clinical competence that can help improve the quality of health and care services.
The book offers a range of perspectives on APN, APN models, APN education, challenges in the implementation of APN in new countries, as well as a description of the APN role, including areas of expertise. These core areas of the Caring APN model (clinical nursing practice; ethical decision-making; coaching and teaching; consultation; collaboration; case management; leadership; research and development) are described, together with the role of APN in acute care and primary healthcare service contexts. The book also explores the connection between epistemology, a three-dimensional view of knowledge (epistêmê, technê and phronesis) and a caritative perspective, as well as central theoretical aspects of nursing, e.g. health, holism and ethics/ethos.
All research should be grounded in theoretical perspectives, and here we highlight the value of a caring and person-centered philosophy in advanced practice nursing. Through its specific focus on the central, generic theoretical features of nursing science that deepen the role of APN and the scope of practice and APN research and education, the content presented here will help any researcher, teacher or student understand the importance of epistemological issues for research, education and clinical practice in this field. Moreover, it can be used when designing Master's programs in Advanced Practice Nursing, making the book a valuable resource for the international nursing community.
Professor Lisbeth Maria Fagerström is professor in caring science at Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa, Finland and affiliated professor in Nursing science at University of Southeast-Norway. Her main research areas are advanced practice nursing, nurse staffing, nursing intensity, gerontological nursing, and health promotion. She has extensive experience of nursing education on all levels and of leadership in clinical health care with special focus on leading changes in healthcare, health education and research. She introduced systematic patient classification by the RAFAELA system in the beginning of 1990's as a tool for nurse leaders in Finland and had since then conducted extensive research regarding nurse staffing, nursing intensity and outcomes. During the last fifteen years Fagerström has developed master programmes in advanced practice nursing according to international standards for Nurse Practitioner role and contributed substantially to the implementation of advanced practice nursing in Finland, Norway and Sweden. Fagerström published the first Swedish book in advanced practice nursing in 2011 ('Advanced Practice Nurse - theory and clinical praxis', Publisher Studentlitteratur), and recently the first book in Norwegian (Advanced Practice Nursing', Publisher Gyldendal Akademisk). She is leading several research projects in advanced practice nursing, with special focus on evaluation of advanced nursing roles and education. She was for many years a member of the ICN/APN Network and by networking on national, Nordic and international level Fagerström has inspired and motivated colleagues, leaders and students for advanced practice nursing.
