Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
It has been my privilege as the inaugural International Council of Nurses (ICN) Chief Nurse (2021–2023) to collaborate with Professor Parveen Ali, International Nursing Review (INR) Editor-in-Chief, and with my esteemed co-editor Dr. Daniela Lehwaldt, Chair of the ICN Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse Network (ICN NP/APNN). We have worked collaboratively to curate and share with you this INR Issue on Advanced Practice Nursing: Towards Health and Well-being for All. As the former ICN NP/APN Network Liaison, I wish to recognize and thank the Core Steering Group, Subgroups and the network members for their leadership, dedication and unwavering volunteerism and relay my respect for their valued contributions to advance the profession and population health. In January of 2024, I transitioned roles to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario (NPAO) in Canada, representing over 5100 nurse practitioners who improve access to quality care across our provincial health system. In addition to my executive leadership role, I continue to uphold all the APN dimensions of practice, including teaching, as well as delivering direct clinical primary health care for health equity-seeking populations. Dr Daniela Lehwaldt is Chair of the ICN NP/APN Network and find her role incredibly rewarding as it enables her to constantly learn from advanced nurses from all over the globe. She is a former Nurse Practitioner in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. As native German, she is also serving as President of the Subgroup 'International' (Akademische Fachgesellschaft International) of the German Network APN World Bank, 2021). Local, regional and national nursing QUADS summit opportunities ensuring representation from the four pillars which include educators, regulators, Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers, employers, unions, and professional associations for APN momentum to address nursing and midwifery education and curriculum, scope of practice, regulation, and governance would be advantageous. Future research focusing on APN health workforce solutions to advance UHC and nursing retention could further inform APN data analytics and return on investments. APN role definition, education, regulation, credentialing, certification, scope of practice, working conditions, remuneration, funding models and integration vary worldwide (Acorn, 2023a, 2023b). Clarity and alignment can strengthen future workforce harmonization, innovation, models of care and data. National, regional and global clarity and consistency can inform the design, delivery and leadership for health, education and socioeconomic systems. Healthcare demands related to pandemics, ageing population, noncommunicable diseases, natural disasters, humanitarian crisis and climate change have exposed glaring health needs, taxed and under- resources workforces for service delivery and educational institutions' capacity locally and globally (Acorn, 2021a). We look forward to being reunited with many of you at the 13th ICN APN/NP Network conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, on September 9–12, 2024. The ICN APN/NP network looks forward to seeing you along with the North of Scotland Advanced Practice Academy hosted at Robert Gordon University. This event will enable exchanging expertise experience for supporting nurses and countries who are in the process of developing, implementing, integrating and sustaining advanced practice roles. Assess and advance your Global Nurse Leadership Competencies (GNLC): Individual APNs, as well as healthcare and educational organizations, can benefit from self-evaluating and progressing leadership capacity. Investment in professional development opportunities to boost competence, confidence and APN leadership is a value-added outcome desired for recruitment, retention, professional growth and personal satisfaction. International nurse leaders, including ICN, collaborated on the ten key leadership competencies with performance indicators for nurses across their career trajectory from novice, competent, expert and luminary levels have been established. Key domain areas that APNs can utilize to capture their work contributions as nurse leaders across all levels are included. Diversity and inclusion, systems thinking and political savviness, which are important for success and optimizing APN performance, are also weaved into the leadership competencies (Sigma, 2023). Be an active member in your Local, National and International APN Associations: As an individual, become an active member of the global ICN NP/APN network, an official ICN affiliate and amplify your APN opportunities and solutions. It is key to be active in your local, national and global APN associations. I am an engaged member nationally through both the Canadian Nurses Association and the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada. I was the provincial Past President of the Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario and now the CEO. Consider policy, governance and board leadership opportunities for advocacy, influence and to catapult your APN professional growth. Employers and organizational investments targeted to supporting membership fees, as well as time to fully participate in efforts supporting APN policy advancement and engagement are strategic recruitment and retention benefits for advance the health of the population and profession.
Acorn et al. (Wed,) studied this question.