From nurse education, clinical, or workforce issues through to healthy living, Nursing Review has it covered.

Nurse practitioner training shouldn't still need to rely on goodwill and keep facing funding uncertainty, say NP training providers.

Eighteen graduates from the pilot fully-funded NP training programme are now registered and starting work as NPs – half of them in primary health care.

Increased support for the NP role and streamlined registration processes contributed to 77 new NPs being registered last year – more than triple the rate of previous years, says the Nursing Council.

A more than 30 per cent leap in nurse practitioner numbers in the previous year was celebrated at the biannual Nurse Practitioners New Zealand conference at the weekend. 

The second cohort of nurse practitioner trainees under the pilot NP training programme are underway.  New video resources have also been released outlining what is involved in supervising and mentoring an NP in the making.

There is an urgent public health need to have confidence in our fresh water systems much sooner than 2040, says Rural GP Network chair and NP Sharon Hansen 

Increased demand for addiction services and addiction nurses could follow a new act streamlining the compulsory treatment order process for people with severe addiction.

After a decade in the making the bill that removes legal barriers that have hindered nurse practitioner and nurse practice was finally passed by parliament this week.

A new chair has been elected for Nurse Practitioners New Zealand as the number of nurse practitioners practising around the country tops 200 for the first time.

The new right for registered nurses to prescribe is welcomed by Professor Jenny Carryer but she also questions whether training funding is enough to meet the "huge education commitment" required.

Nurse practitioner Pareake O'Brien says she is stunned to win the Te Akenehi Hei Award that was also awarded to her late mother Putiputi O'Brien more than a decade ago.

From next week nurse practitioners will be able to join doctors and dentists in being able to issue standing orders – removing one more barrier to NP practice.

News of a funding extension for a pilot nurse practitioner training programme is being welcomed as another sign of the NP movement gaining momentum.

Nurses from Great Barrier Island to Franz Josef – including three new Māori nurse practitioners ­– were honoured at this month's national rural health conference.

The long-awaited 'barriers' bill is being revised after the select committee hearings proposed new amendments allowing NPs to supervise registered nurse prescribers.

ROSEMARY MINTO believes the key to making a difference to patients is finding the self-belief system driving their health behaviours. Read on to find out how out the primary health care nurse practitioner has chosen New Year's resolutions to help her to do just that.

As the country heads back to work and school, memories of the festive season may already be starting to fade. For some, however, memories of a holiday trip to ED may not be forgotten so easily. Emergency nurse practitioner MICHAEL GERAGHTY shares an emergency nursing perspective of the summer silly season.

Nearly 50 would-be nurse practitioners have applied for just 20 places in the first dedicated NP training programme.

The first ever appointment of an NP into a rural general practice by a government-funded rural recruiter is hoped to open doors for more NP placements to follow.

Removing legal barriers hindering nurse practitioners – such as those stopping NPs writing sick leave certificates or prescribing controlled drugs – are a step closer following a parliamentary vote yesterday.

The long awaited go-ahead has been given to piloting a dedicated training programme for 20 would-be nurse practitioners in 2016.

OPINION: The perpetually curious ANDY McLACHLAN (an Auckland cardiology NP) wonders about sharks in swimming pools and whether it may be time for a fresh look at the nurse practitioner role

Nursing leaders are angry and frustrated at moves to exclude nurse practitioner-led services from being eligible for general practice-only funding.

A debate over the reasoning skills of nurse practitioners prompted groundbreaking research indicating NPs diagnostic skills are just as good as doctors.

Firsthand positive experience of nurse practitioners prompted a Timaru GP to sponsor NP advocate Professor Jenny Carryer on an NP road show to the region.

The lifting of restrictions on nurse practitioners prescribing controlled drugs like morphine and ritalin is being warmly welcomed.

Free prescriptions and more time … primary health nurse practitioner ROSEMARY MINTO argues for what could most help patients like Charlie*.

Sharon Hansen, NP and deputy chair of the Rural General Practice Network (NZRGPN) responds to nurse leaders concerns about barriers to NP practice in rural areas being created by new definition of general practice team

The army, the dole or nursing? NP ANDY McLACHLAN reflects on falling into the career that turned him from a boy into a man. And the need to attract more men and more Māori and Pacific into nursing.

Nurse practitioners could better evolve their practice to meet community needs if a proposed generic scope of practice goes ahead, says Nurse Practitioners New Zealand chair Jane Jeffcoat.

Primary health nurse practitioner ROSEMARY MINTO on the challenge of "flicking the switch" to good health habits and the need to realise the 'story' behind each reluctant quitter or non-exerciser. Plus the need to be funded to give the time required to support people make and maintain lifestyle change – particularly with the low levels of health literacy.

Both Treasury and the Ministry of Health are advising the new health minister to push ahead with the long awaited bill to remove barriers to health workforce flexibility.

Nurse and general practice co-owner KIM CARTER believes one of the biggest barriers stopping nursing from making a bigger difference in primary health is nurses' attitude to money.

The country's first child and youth NP, PAULA RENOUF, says a decade on, some things have improved but still too many children are falling through the cracks.

New Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has confirmed he's following in his predecessor's footsteps in being supportive of expanded nursing roles.

Nurses nationwide are invited to take part in a major online survey hoping to pinpoint the real differences between a staff nurse and a specialist nurse’s daily work.

ANDY McLACHLAN – Scotsman, cardiology NP and past-consumer of deep-fried pizza and hamburgers the size of your head – recently got lectured by an after-hours pharmacist while picking up his type 2 diabetes medication.

Rolling out the physician assistant role based on the “sweeping conclusions” of a flawed evaluation of a flawed trial was not wise or safe, says a damning critique by nurses’ organisation NZNO.

Can nurse-led titration of heart failure medicine make a difference? Check out this edition’s Clinically Appraised Topic (CAT).

LIZ MANNING and JENNY CARRYER reflect on the journey to date to establish nurse practitioners (NPs) in New Zealand, plus they report on a new project to support NP supervisors and mentors in their essential role of training future NPs.

As the country heads back to work and school, memories of the festive season may already be starting to fade. For some, however, memories of a holiday trip to ED  may not be forgotten so easily. Emergency nurse practitioner MICHAEL GERAGHTY shares an emergency nursing perspective of the summer silly season.

Follow Cardiac NP Annette Rief as she cycles and ferries her way to a day's work helping adults manage and live with congenital heart disease.

If I’ve learned anything from reporting on nursing over the years, it’s that many nurses are multitaskers extraordinaire. They juggle demanding workloads: raising kids and completing postgraduate study; and emerge with new skills to enhance their nursing practice and the letters PGDip, MN or even PhD after their names.

Nursing mentors have been instrumental in helping clinical nurse specialist JESSICA ONGLEY along her career path towards her ultimate goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.

A positive evaluation of a Health Workforce New Zealand-funded physician assistant (PA) pilot in primary health has been released. HWNZ has no plans to take further steps to initiate a PA training programme but more US-trained PAs are being sought by practices and an application for regulation of the role is in the pipeline. FIONA CASSIE reports.

Nursing Review talks to pain management NP Sue King about not only the pain associated with the more common long-term conditions but also about chronic pain as a long-term condition in its own right – and how nurses can best help their patients manage it.

Nursing-led research projects are being recommended for a share of the $14.6 million Ageing Well research challenge launched earlier this year.

Canterbury's paediatric oncology NP Jan Millar helps families keep their heads above water while they are being swept along by the turbulent current that is child cancer.

’Tough customers’ are now turning up for appointments more and more often since primary health care NP Jane Dutton joined Whanganui’s Castlecliff Health nearly six months ago.

Young people walking through the door of Youth One Stop Shops around the country are offered a holistic, wraparound service that many nurses aspire to. FIONA CASSIE learns that it comes at the cost of a continuous funding struggle to keep the – often nurse-led – youth health services running.

Fingers may be small but wounds to them can be disproportionately painful and debilitating. FIONA CASSIE seeks first aid advice for nurses from emergency NP Margaret Colligan on crushed fingers and other common finger wounds.

PROFESSOR JENNY CARRYER is alarmed that after 10 years of battling barriers hindering nurse practitioners, a new contract currently being negotiated for primary health providers could create yet another barrier.

Nursing leaders are angry and frustrated at moves to exclude nurse practitioner-led services from being eligible for general practice-only funding.

The nursing sector’s patience has finally been rewarded with the passing of a bill that grants nurse practitioners equal prescribing status to GPs, midwives, and dentists.

Helping prevent and heal faster debilitating and costly leg ulcers is the aim of the first trans-Tasman clinical guidelines for venous leg ulcers. Two years on from launching the Australasian guidelines, the push is on to get wider implementation. Some of Australasia’s experts in the field provide an update.

Sharon Hansen, NP and deputy chair of the Rural General Practice Network (NZRGPN) responds to nurse leaders concerns about barriers to NP practice in rural areas being created by new definition of general practice team

The army, the dole or nursing? NP Andy McLachlan reflects on falling into the career that turned him from a boy into a man. And the need to attract more men and more Māori and Pacific into nursing.

Michael Geraghty, Nurse Practitioner in the Adult Emergency Department at Auckland City Hospital, calls for a zero tolerance policy against violence and verbal threats in our hospitals.

Free prescriptions and more time … primary health nurse practitioner ROSEMARY MINTO argues for what could most help patients like Charlie*.

Former barman and now ED nurse practitioner MICHAEL GERAGHTY wonders when Kiwis will grow out of defining a great night as waking up feeling sick with no memory of the previous night and no cash in their wallet.

ANDY McLACHLAN – Scotsman, cardiology NP and past-consumer of deep-fried pizza and hamburgers the size of your head – recently got lectured by an after-hours pharmacist while picking up his type 2 diabetes medication. As a reformed character with great blood sugar, cholesterol, a BMI of 24 (and only succumbing to the occasional pink iced bun) McLachlan suggests sensitivity is needed for when and how health professionals’ offer lifestyle advice to patients.

We look to nurses as learners, educators, and leaders in this edition. Read on about teaching fledgling nurses in the classroom and on the ward, fostering leadership skills, nurses sharing their career tales, and milestones past and future in the recognition of competence and professional development.

The first NP employed by the residential aged care sector led to far fewer hospital admissions and reduced GP workloads, says an evaluation report. But in a sector always plagued by funding issues, the report also raises questions over the sustainability of the current funding model. FIONA CASSIE reports.

Some call it the biggest revolution for New Zealand nursing since training left hospitals. A decade since the first Kiwi nurse practitioner was authorised to prescribe, the Nursing Council is proposing the long-awaited widening of prescribing to registered nurses. Prescribing is the buzz. Along with cries of “at last” and “fantastic”, there is a desire to get it right from the outset if the country wants more RNs to leave the protection of standing orders and become prescribers in their own right. FIONA CASSIE reports.

Far North nurse practitioner Adrianne Murray is the pragmatic but passionate face of nurse prescribing. FIONA CASSIE talks to the country’s second ever-prescribing NP about doing the groundwork to be a prescriber.

Paula Renouf became the country’s first nurse prescriber in June 2003. Nursing Review caught up with her on travelling sabbatical in the United States’ Pacific North West and asked her to reflect back on the decade that’s followed.

To celebrate International Nurses Day this year Nursing Review invited district health boards across the country to contribute stories on nursing ‘heroes’ in their region. We got stories back on just some of the unsung, innovative, compassionate, high achievers and dedicated nurses that make up the New Zealand nursing workforce.

Des Gorman rejects nursing criticism that HWNZ’s innovations have been poorly planned and taken a fragmented approach.

Taranaki’s Waves youth health service is still seeking to re-open but its founding nurse practitioner Lou Roebuck is seeking a fresh start.

Nurse practitioners’ frustration at “millions” being found for physician assistant pilots when NP practices serving high-needs communities are closing or near broke was vented at their recent annual conference.

US-trained physician assistants will be at work in five medical centres from Huntley to Gore by the end of the year, Health Workforce New Zealand has confirmed.

A nurse practitioner survey found five of the country’s NPs are still hunting for NP positions.

All non-prescribing nurse practitioners may have to upskill to be prescribers within two years to align with new legislation.

Youth health NP LOU ROEBUCK and Professor JENNY CARRYER, patron of youth one-stop shop, WAVES, ask why a popular health service helping thousands of young people can’t get funding.

Find out what fills the day of perioperative NP Teena Robinson from walking the dog in the morning to investigating ongoing nausea in a patient three days post-knee surgery.

Nursing opposition to the proposed delegated prescriber role has been tempered by amendments proposed by the Health Select Committee to the Medicines Amendment Bill.

Sharon Myoji Schnare, a United States-based family and women’s health nurse practitioner addressed the recent primary health care nurses' conference* about the brave new world opening up to nursing.

Anxious patients with chest pain who used to wait up to 100 days for review at Counties Manukau District Health Board are now being seen in less than 20 days.Nearly half of heart attack patients who used to wait up to six months for a cardiologist review are now seeing a nurse practitioner or CNS instead. FIONA CASSIE talks to cardiac nurse practitioner Andy McLachlan about the difference nurse-led clinics are making.

Respiratory nurse practitioner Diana Hart helps the morbidly obese breathe easily again at night. FIONA CASSIE learns more about her successful bi-level ventilation clinics.

The country has its first nurse practitioner in addiction, Louise Leonard. All she needs now is an NP job. FIONA CASSIE reports.

JILL WILKINSON and ANGELA BATES profile a nurse practitioner-led health centre looking after many of central Wellington’s homeless and high needs population.

Nurse practitioner champions and the National Nursing Organisations group are proposed to take over the work of the Nurse Practitioners Advisory Committee (NPAC-NZ) that has been wound up after a decade’s work.

It has taken a decade of hard work, lobbying, frustration and personal sacrifice to build a critical mass of 100 NPs.Nursing Review marks the milestone by asking nursing leaders to reflect on the role’s past and future and by profiling the work of some NPs.

Nursing organisations are giving a firm thumbs-down to the new delegated prescriber role proposed in the Medicines Amendment Bill.

Patch protection a barrier to physician assistants by Fiona Cassie

Writing nurse practitioners into the residential aged-care services contract is being welcomed as a positive step forward.

Youth health NPs GILL ALCORN and REBECCA ZONNEVELD report back on the work of nurse-managed health centres in the US.

Nobody expects a trainee surgeon to organise their own education. But up to now would-be nurse practitioners largely had to take a DIY approach. The Nurse Practitioners Advisory Committee wants this to change.

A call for urgent action to clean up legislative barriers faced by rural nurse practitioners was made at the recent Rural General Practice Network conference.

FIONA CASSIE talks to DEB GILLON, one of the country’s newest NPs in one of the rarest roles – an aged care NP in the community

The first steps to developing a registrar-style programme for fledgling nurse practitioners are being taken by the Nurse Practitioners Advisory Committee (NPAC).

Eight years of registering nurse practitioners has been marked with a new webs ite, celebratory publications and extra funding to help boost NP numbers.