The Advanced Practice Nursing role in Latin America: Challenges, Opportunities and Implications for Universal Health Coverage

Abstract

The author discusses nursing workforce in Latin America composed of licensed professional nurses with bachelor's degree and auxiliaries or nursing technicians with varying degrees of nursing education where concept of licensed advanced practice nurse (APN) is new. Except for Brazil, the Professional Master's Degree in Nursing is the closest to a regulated APN degree in Latin America and nurses taking this degree take classes that emphasizes leadership and advanced level of direct patient care.