This article will evaluate the local, national and international factors that have influenced the development of advanced nursing practice. The discussion will focus on the political, economic, social and technological influences that have contributed to the transformation of the traditional nursing role into the many exciting advanced career opportunities achievable in nursing today. The dynamics that have shaped my own current role as an advanced nurse will be discussed and, concluding, some thoughts on the future of advanced nursing practice. Defining the role of an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) is complex and often subject to interpretation. Internationally, there are many variations in what the role of the advanced practitioner entails, and the characteristics of individual roles are often shaped by the country and the particular specialty in which they practice (Mantzoukas & Watkinson 2006), (Sheer & Wong 2008), (Stasa et al 2014), (ICN 2008), (Dalton 2013), (NHS Wales 2010), (Haidar 2014), (Lowe et al 2011), (Pearson 2011). Historically, the first ANP roles and educational programs were introduced in the United States in the 1960s to fill a shortage of medical personnel, but also to address the problem of health inequities among ethnic minorities, which highlighted early on that nurses were a valuable resource for solving specific health problems (Mantzoukas & Watkinson 2006). ), (Sheer and Wong 2008). PNA roles are well accepted as an effective approach to managing patient care, but the introduction of these roles has become widespread, often leading to confusion around their scope of practice and clear role definition ( Pearson and Peels 2002), (Daly and Carnwell 2003). ), (Castledine 2003), (Gardner et al 2007), (Pears...... middle of paper ......sa, H. Cashin, A. Buckley, T. Donoghue, J. (2014) . Advancing advanced practice – clarifying conceptual confusion. Nurse Education Today 34 (2014) pp. Sturgeon, D. (2008) and Newton's three laws of motion. The future of professional practice – Guidance standards for education and post-registration practice 1/4/2014]53. Preparing a health workforce for the 21st century. chronic diseases, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Group, Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion http://www.who.int/chp/knowledge/publications/workforce_report.pdf?ua=1 [Accessed. 1/4/2014]