“It's about fitting in with the organisation”: A qualitative study of employers of nurse practitioners

Aims and objectives To explore the views of employers about the value nurse practitioners (NPs) add to health services, enablers and barriers to employing NPs, and intentions to employ NPs or expand NP services in the future. Background Research on Australian NPs has focused on NPs’ experiences or patient‐related factors like waiting times. Few studies have explored NP roles from the perspective of employers. Australian NPs employed by the private sector are eligible for reimbursement by the national health insurance scheme (Medicare Australia), potentially generating revenue for employers and broadening their career opportunities. We aimed to explore private sector employers’ views on the barriers and facilitators to employing NPs and to identify factors affecting NP employability. Design A qualitative descriptive exploratory study. Method Employers of NPs from 23 private and nonprofit health services in Western Australia were interviewed. Inductive content analysis was used to explore the data. Results Enablers to employing an NP included enhanced customer service and improved health outcomes. Barriers to employing an NP included lack of financial benefit and inadequate experience or qualifications. Employers also identified future directions for NP employability, such as filling a gap that added value to the health service. Conclusions Employers wanted NPs to work towards a shared vision of patient care that aligned with organisational needs. Relevance to clinical practice Findings can inform NP education and workforce planning to optimally meet employer and patient health needs.