Competencies for training advanced practice nurses in primary health care

Abstract

Objective: To determine a set of core competencies for advanced practice nurses in primary health care in Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods: This is a descriptive quantitative study, with a qualitative data analysis, conducted in 2017. A total of 830 nurses from Latin America and the Caribbean participated. A questionnaire with seven domains, dimensions and competencies of advanced practice nurses was used for collecting data. Descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis. Results: Of the 830 nurses that completed the survey, 40.7% held a position in education, 41.4% worked in clinical areas, and 17.8% occupied managerial or ministerial positions. In terms of education level, 45.7% had master's degrees and 17.3% had doctorates. Of the 64 competencies assessed, 58 were considered core competencies in the training of advanced practice nurses and fi ve as indispensable or not relevant. Conclusion: The study presented a set of core competencies of advanced practice nurses and contributed to the discussion on core competencies in primary health care. The higher the level of education, the greater the tendency to consider the competencies of ethics and research as relevant, whereas the competency to prescribe drugs was only considered relevant by participants from countries where the role of advanced practice nurses is regulated. The proposed competencies must be framed within a specifi c context and regulated by the laws of each country.