CHANGES IN PRACTICE NURSING - PROFESSIONALISM, SEGMENTATION AND SPONSORSHIP

In the wake of recent government policies and legislation, practice nu rsing has undergone major changes. Not least of these has been the rap id growth in the number of practice nurses. In addition, their work ro le has grown greatly over recent years. This has given rise to the que stion of whether their professional development now justifies their st atus as autonomous nurse practitioners. This and related issues are ex plored in the empirical part of this paper, which focuses on the chang es in the work and responsibilities of practice nurses in two industri al towns in the English Midlands.