Purpose The training system in specific practice for Registered Nurses was legalized in June 2014, instead of creating a new Nurse Practitioner role in Japan. The aim of this policy paper is to describe the need for Nurse Practitioner roles and discuss a model of Nurse Practitioner graduate education in Japan based on the identified social needs in rural areas.
Design Policy analysis was conducted considering national and international aspects. The diffusion of Home Mechanical Ventilation and struggle of family caregivers were used as an exemplar of the disadvantage created by the enactment approach for the long-term care population in Japan.
Methods The workforce development of the Nurse Practitioner role and the required graduate education are considered in the context of the technological development and limited supply of Medical Practitioners available in rural settings. Findings Japanese nurses need to be aware that the current enactment approach, i.e. strong medical control, can be seen as role expansion but, equally plausibly in the current form, entrenchment of medical control.
Conclusion Further research is needed to explore the potential roles of the Nurse Practitioner in the community setting in Japan to satisfy the social demands of health care and the education required to build capability to perform these roles.