Perceptions of NP Roles in Australia: Nurse Practitioners, Managers, and Policy Advisors

• A range of perceptions of policy issues related to the integration of NP in roles from 3 different nurse stakeholder groups in Australia is reported.
• Implications of these perceptions on policy decisions related to integration of NP roles is discussed.
• Confirmation that there is positive regard for NP roles is reported.

The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of nurse practitioner (NP) roles from NP, nurse manager, and nurse policy adviser perspectives in Australia. A questionnaire formed phase 1 of a mixed methods study with 171 responses (36% response rate). Results show that, although there was a generally positive regard for NPs, there is evidence of a difference in perception between the stakeholder groups. The finding that nurse policy participants had a lower overall perception rating score is significant given this is the group that drives policy at the state and territory levels.