Dr Carmel Bond, Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing in the College of Health Wellbeing and Lifesciences at Sheffield Hallam, carried out research into the impact of additional regulation on internationally educated nurses and midwives working in the UK.
Her research formed part of a wider project looking at the need to develop an approach to the additional regulation of advanced practice – the complex, autonomous and expert roles that many experienced nurses and midwives carry out.
Conducted on behalf of the Florence Nightingale Foundation, she examined current evidence on the regulatory and legislative landscape around advanced practice in some of the countries where the UK primarily recruits from, which is in considerable flux
She found advanced practice roles are spreading globally, including in countries where the UK now primarily recruits nurses and midwives from, a trend that is likely to accelerate.
However, failure to recognise the prior skills and experience of internationally educated nurses and midwives can lead to deskilling and demotivation regarding long-term career aspirations. They may also face distinct barriers to accessing the opportunity to progress to advanced practitioners.
Dr Carmel Bond said: “Advanced practitioners bring significant knowledge, skills, and experience to provide person-centred care. Regulation is about enabling the public to have consistently high expectations and experiences as well as consistency in opportunity for those in the profession.
“I am pleased to have contributed to this review of advanced practice regulation which will have long-lasting impacts across the nursing and midwifery sector.”
The Nursing and Midwifery Council plans to develop a combination of approaches to the regulation of advanced practice including developing standards of proficiency for advanced level practice and adopting a collaborative approach to develop a UK-wide advanced practice principles framework.
