• Lorna MacLellan, Isabel Higgins, and Tracy Levett-Jones.
• a School of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Health & Medicine , The University of Newcastle , Callaghan , NSW 2308 , Australia.
• Contemp Nurse. 2015 Jan 1; 50 (2-3): 139-48.

BackgroundAustralian legislation supporting the nurse practitioner (NP) role was enacted in 1998. Since then, NPs have played an important advanced practice role within the interdisciplinary healthcare team. However, the literature suggests that transition to the NP role can be challenging.AimThis paper highlights the complex transition experiences of ten recently endorsed Australian NPs. The convoluted legislative and regulatory requirements that were negotiated by the NPs are presented as narratives.MethodsInformed by an ethnographic approach, participants were interviewed several times during their first year. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed and aggregated into three narratives representative of key findings.Key FindingsThe findings exemplify the complexity of navigating through a labyrinth of bureaucracy and the extensive negotiations required to appease those who yielded power over their future practice.ConclusionThis study raises awareness of the transition experiences of Australian NPs and their challenges and barriers during this time.

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