AN ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL, SPECIALIST AND ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICEIN CRITICAL CARE

A recent document, The Future of Professional Practice - Standards for Education and Practice Following Registration (United Kingdom Central Council (UKCC) 1994a), has laid down a structure for clinical practic e, providing a pathway for nurses to progress from the professional le vel, through to specialist and advanced levels, according to clinical expertise and educational preparation, The purpose of this article thu s sets out to analyse critically these distinct levels in relation to critical care nursing. In particular, the paper discusses the developm ent of advanced practice and how the proposed levels may be integrated within critical care.