Nurses in Primary Care: Educational Background and Functioning

Abstract

A survey was conducted among 221 Vermont nurses working in primary care settings. A questionnaire was distributed to obtain information on their levels of training and experience and how frequently they performed 17 tasks associated with primary care. It was found that a substantial number of nurses regularly performed some primary care activities. There were a number of activities that nurses with fair to minimal training performed frequently. The results have implications for nursing education programs aimed at primary care skills.