title: An ontological view of advanced practice nursing.
abstract: Identifying, developing, and incorporating nursing's unique ontological and epistemological perspective into advanced practice nursing practice places priority on delivering care based on research-derived knowledge. Without a clear distinction of our metatheoretical space, we risk blindly adopting the practice values of other disciplines, which may not necessarily reflect those of nursing. A lack of focus may lead current advanced practice nursing curricula and emerging doctorate of nursing practice programs to mirror the logical positivist paradigm and perspective of medicine. This article presents an ontological perspective for advanced practice nursing education, practice, and research.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0482, USA. cmae@umich.edu
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arslanian-Engoren
authors.forename: Frank D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: Ann L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Whall
authors.forename: Donna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Algase
mesh_terms: D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000193:education; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education; D009736:Nursing Process; D015399:Nursing Research; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing