The Effects of Master’s Degree Education on the Role Choices, Role Flexibility, and Practice Settings of Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners

Master’s degree education that explores advanced practice nursing (APN) roles in multiple settings may increase APN roles and practice viability in ever-changing health care environments. This descriptive, comparative study investigated differences in role choices, role flexibility, and practice settings among master’s prepared clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) educated in specialized and combined programs using multivariate analysis of variance. Role theory delineates activities in specific societal roles that are recognized as activities practiced always, sometimes, or never by all, some, or none of its members. Role specialization is determined by the amount and frequency that activities are performed by others in similar roles. Significant differences were found between groups on actual and preferred percentage of time spent in APN roles. The CNS group spent more time in acute care and mental health settings, and the NP and Combined groups spent more time in clinic and primary care settings. AUTHOR Received: February 13, 2003 Accepted: May 20, 2005 Dr. Stark is Associate Professor, Monmouth University, Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies, West Long Branch, New Jersey. Address correspondence to Sharon W. Stark, DNSc, APN-C, Associate Professor, Monmouth University, Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies, 400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764-1898; e-mail: swstark@monmouth.edu.