To prescribe or not to prescribe

Assessing the skills for family planning nurse prescribing: development of a psychometrically sound training needs analysis instrument

“…Given that the UK government has declared its intention to ensure that half the nursing workforce has prescribing rights by 2004 (DoH 2000a) and that one target group of nurses who will be prioritized for training for this task will come from the area of health maintenance (defined as preconceptual health, contraception and emergency contraception), then the existence of a scientifically sound training needs analysis instrument could be an advantage. There is a clearly stated need to identify not only those nurses who would be suitable to be developed for prescribing authority, but also the core competences that any educational provision will have to cover (Clarke & Macnamara 2000, DoH 2000c). A properly derived empirical database could meet both these objectives.…”

The occupational profile and associated training needs of the nurse prescriber: an empirical study of family planning nurses

“…Unless nurses assume responsibility for setting the standards and requirements for training, it is highly likely that the medical profession will claim control of this, as the only model for prescriptive training currently in existence is a medical model. In other words, nurses must seize the initiative for the prescribing agenda at every level, otherwise they will lose their authority to the medical profession and be subordinated in this crucial development (Clarke & Macnamara 2000).…”