Advanced practice nurse education in its infancy: an exploratory study of Norwegian higher education institutions' program descriptions

There is a growing worldwide interest in educating nurses at an advanced level. Advanced practice nursing (APN) refers to an umbrella term for master-educated nurses working within expanded nursing practice. Previous APN research has primarily addressed comparative characteristics of education globally and several aspects related to practice after graduation. This study aimed to explore how higher education institutions position and legitimize APN as an education requisite for nurses, the health care system, and society. Program descriptions of relevant educational programs in the Norwegian context were analyzed using documentary reality construction. The findings point to how APNs are positioned to have a prominent contextual perspective, which are given precedence over direct patient care, legitimized through descriptions of societal problems and demands. This paper argues that APNs are positioned to hold individual responsibility to solve unmet societal demands.