The Nurse Practitioner Role in Oncology: Advancing Patient Care

Purpose/Objectives: To explore and describe the characteristics of the nurse practitioner (NP) role in cancer care in a Canadian province, identify the ways in which NPs add value to cancer care, and suggest ways in which organizations can better support the NP role. Research Approach: Exploratory, qualitative design. Setting: Three cancer care facilities in a western Canadian province. Participants: 12 NPs in cancer care, 12 physicians working with NPs, and 5 administrators responsible for implementing the role. Methodologic Approach: Interpretive description, a qualitative method aimed at systematically exploring and analyzing a topic and applying the findings back into practice. Findings: Each group had a different perspective on the role and its value. Physicians regarded these high-level practitioners as "help" within their own practices. Administrators tended to use NPs to manage patient workload within the traditional physician-focused system, but they could see value in NP-led innovation. The NPs themselves envisioned a nontraditional, holistic, patient-centered approach to care that challenged the interventionist focus of the medical model. Suggestions for enhancing the potential of the role were offered by all groups. Conclusions: Lack of clarity about the NP role persists. Traditional professional hierarchies and expectations about care delivery continue to affect role implementation. Interpretation: Nursing leaders must be proactive about NP role implementation to maximize its potential. Additional research is needed about the outcomes of the role and the process of implementation.