APRN Joint Dialogue Group Report, July 7, 2008
19
was convened by AACN to regularly discuss issues related to nursing education, practice,
and credentialing. A number of differing views on how APN practice is defined, what
constitutes specialization versus subspecialization, and the appropriate credentialing
requirements that would authorize practice had emerged over the past several years.
An invitation to participate in a national APN consensus process was sent to 50 organizations
that were identified as having an interest in advanced practice nursing (see Appendix F).
Thirty-two organizations participated in the APN Consensus Conference in Washington,
D.C. June 2004. The focus of the one-day meeting was to initiate an in-depth examination of
issues related to APN definition, specialization, sub-specialization, and regulation, which
includes accreditation, education, certification, and licensure
17
. Based on recommendations
generated in the June 2004 APN Consensus Conference, the Alliance formed a smaller work
group made up of designees from 23 organizations with broad representation of APN
certification, licensure, education, accreditation, and practice. The charge to the work group
was to develop a statement that addresses the issues, delineated during the APN Consensus
Conference with the goal of envisioning a future model for APNs. The Alliance APN
Consensus Work Group (hereafter referred to as the Work Group) convened for 16 days of
intensive discussion between October 2004 and July 2007 (see Appendix H for a list of
organizations represented on the APN Work Group).
In December 2004, the American Nurses Association (ANA) and AACN co-hosted an APN
stakeholder meeting to address those issues identified at the June 2004 APN Consensus
meeting. Attendees agreed to ask the APN Work Group to continue to craft a consensus
statement that would include recommendations regarding APN regulation, specialization, and
subspecialization. It also was agreed that organizations in attendance who had not
participated in the June 2004 APN Consensus meeting would be included in the APN
Consensus Group and that this larger group would reconvene at a future date to discuss the
recommendations of the APN Work Group.
Following the December 2004 APN Consensus meeting, the Work Group continued to work
diligently to reach consensus on the issues surrounding APRN education, practice,
accreditation, certification, and licensure, and to create a future consensus-based model for
APRN regulation. Subsequent APRN Consensus Group meetings were held in September
2005 and June 2006. All organizations who participated in the APRN Consensus Group are
listed in Appendix G.
16
Organizational members of the Alliance for APRN Credentialing : American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
Certification Program, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Critical-Care
Nurses Certification Corporation, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs,
American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Nurses Credentialing Center, Association of Faculties of
Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Inc., Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, National Association of
Clinical Nurse Specialists, National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, Council on
Accreditation, Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, The National Certification Corporation for the Obstetric
Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing Specialties, National Council of State Boards of Nursing, National
Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties
17
The term regulation refers to the four prongs of regulation: licensure, accreditation, certification and
education.