Understanding the Roles, Responsibilities, and Competencies of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses: Instrument Development and Psychometric Testing.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Demand for primary care providers increases value for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to assume more independent roles. The purpose was to develop a reliable, valid instrument to measure roles, responsibilities, and competencies reflective of autonomous practice for APRNs.

METHODS

Conceptual literature motivated development of a new instrument. Validity was initially evaluated through expert content review. Reliability of proposed scales was evaluated and possible underlying constructs were identified through factor analysis using data from a pilot study.

RESULTS

Content validity for the instrument was high (content validity index [CVI] 88). The 16-item instrument is highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha of 0.81). Cronbach's alphas for subscales ranged from 0.60 to 0.75. Factor analysis identified four components.

CONCLUSIONS

The Petersen Sieloff Assessment of Advanced Practice (PSAAP) demonstrated initial reliability. Additional examination is warranted to further improve the factor structure.