Professional territoriality: a study of the expanded role of the nurse.

This study examines the expanded role of the nurse as a specific example of the extension of professional boundaries. Three characteristics of professional territoriality--autonomy, accountability, and identity--were selected as variables in the study. The specific objectives were to examine attitudes of members of the nursing and medical profession toward the expanded role of the nurse, and to test the usefulness of the concept of professional territoriality in understanding the expanded role of the nurse. Attitudes toward nurses functioning in an expanded role were examined for two aspects: beliefs as to what nurse practitioners are now doing and what they should be able to do. Data was obtained through questionnaries mailed to a random sample of nurses and physicians in Minnesota. As predicted, the researcher found that nurses held more positive attitudes toward nurse practitioners working in an expanded role than do physicians.