Exploring the Role of the Nurse in Ambulatory Care Environments: A Qualitative Study

Little is known about ambulatory care nursing roles and the values the nurse brings to the clinical environment. Tasks and activities are often used to describe the role of the nurse. However, tasks and activities do not characterize the unique contributions of the ambulatory care nurse. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the roles of the nurse in ambulatory environments. A purposive, convenience sample of 19 nurses who worked in various ambulatory care settings participated in semi-structured interviews, either in-person or by telephone. One investigator conducted all interviews, and six co-investigators analyzed the data. We used an iterative approach of listening to the audio recordings of the interviews, coding data, and identifying roles. This process was repeated until investigators were confident that all data had been considered and no new information was found. Three themes identified in the study analysis were the nursing roles of advocate, teacher, and departmental anchor in ambulatory care settings. A fourth theme emerged when the data suggested that different practice environments affected how nurses in ambulatory care implemented each role. Identifying wider roles of nurses in the ambulatory environment, rather than specific tasks and activities, enhances our understanding of the true value of nurses who work in these settings. This article describes our study methods and the emerging themes.