Educational program evaluation: the University of Vermont family nurse practitioner program.

Graduates of the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program at the University of Vermont, Burlington, were surveyed to determine if the FNPs had enlarged their nursing roles following completion of the program. A sample of Vermont nurses served as a control group. Results of a questionnaire, used to obtain information about the nurses' training, functions, and attitudes, indicated that FNPs performed activities associated with an expanded nursing role more frequently than did their nonpractiioner counterparts. There was evidence that the two groups differed in their attitudes toward various aspects of their nursing roles. The evaluation is an ongoing study; as the number of program graduates increases, further characterization of their roles will be possible.