Have you ever wondered about NP practice in other countries? The NP role around the world is diverse. Educational, regulatory requirements and scope of practice vary by country. For example, nurse practitioners in New Zealand must have a minimum of four years of experience in a specific practice area and complete a clinical master’s degree, and register with the Nursing Council. New Zealand NPs have a broad scope of practice and have the same prescribing authority as medical doctors.1
In Taiwan, NP became the legal title for advanced practice nurses in 2000 but the scope of practice was not clearly defined until 2016. While the scope of practice is broad, physician supervision for some activities is required and NPs do not have independent prescriptive authority.2 However, the role of the NP in Taiwan is rapidly changing and expanding. As the population ages, more NPs are needed to care for the elderly.
In an article in the FAANP forum, Dr. Rosemary Goodyear describes the development and evolution of NPs in Taiwan and the new focus on developing Long Term Care programs. You can read about this at https://www.aanp.org/images/documents/FAANPForum/2018-6.pdf.
1. New Zealand Ministry of Health (2017) Nurse Practitioners in New Zealand https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/nursing/nurses-new-zealand/nurse-practitioners-new-zealand.
2. Chiu, H., Tsay, S.L., Tung, H.H. (2016). A giant leap in the development of nurse practitioners in Taiwan: from statue to regulation. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 28; 622-627.