Roles and Responsibilities of Nurses Working in Ambulatory Care

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the responsibilities, educational preparation, skills and educational needs of registered nurses working in ambulatory care.  The study findings will assist educators to revise and update their curricula focusing on the growing health care demand for nurses outside of acute care.

Rationale: The changing health care system is driving the need for a greater focus on outpatient healthcare. Changing trends include; the increase in the aging population (CDC, 2014; National Institute on Aging), the need to support and manage more community patients with multiple chronic conditions (NIH, 2014), the Readmission Reduction Program requirements designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (CMS, 2014), as well as the increase in the number of patients who now have access to health care providers. These forces will influence the educational preparation of nurses as they will need a more broad and comprehensive mix of skills (Ortman, Velkoff, and Howard Hogan, 2014). These changes are impacting the need for nurses with a greater skill set to be more effective in delivering care, monitoring outcomes and making improvements for individual patients, as well as making process improvements within facilities. As a consequence of the rapidly changing environment, nursing schools must consider their educational offerings and develop more focused outpatient care curriculum based on the needs unique to ambulatory care today. Similarly, educators must emphasize the need for students to adapt their care based on the needs of the patient seen in a particular setting.

Methods: All participants completed a researcher-developed online survey based on the Ambulatory Care Nursing Orientation and Competency Assessment Guide (AAACN, 2010). Content validity was verified by a team of educators and ambulatory care nurses. Participants were asked about their role and responsibilities and the received/required educational preparation.

Data Analyses: Survey responses and demographic data were analyzed in SPSS and summarized using descriptive statistics. Narrative responses were transcribed, analyzed, and themes developed.

Conclusions: Study findings will provide insight into the actual responsibilities and perceived educational needs of nurses working in ambulatory care. Nurse educators must be informed about the responsibilities and educational needs of the growing group of working nurses.