Abstract: Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital is one of the first hospitals in mainland China that set up Advanced Practice Nurses (APN). Over the past 20 years, the hospital has experienced the introduction, implementation and evaluation of advanced nurse roles. Through reviewing this process, this article sorted out the Advanced Practice Nurses primary criteria, core competencies, job responsibilities and professional development direction based on China's national conditions, and summarized management experience of Advanced Practice Nurses. The APN had provided direct nursing practice, taken care of specialist consultation and discussion of MDT cases, performed education training and supervision, participated multi-disciplinary team of diagnosis and treatment work, promoted nursing scientific research and technology innovation and participated in quality control and discipline development practice. It is concluded that the advanced practice nurses play positive roles on patients, nurses, organization and medical system. With the vigorous development of higher nursing education, the number of nursing graduate students in China is increasing day by day. In the future, we can try to combine professional degree graduate students with APN. It is expected to develop the effectiveness of nursing talents, and promote the healthy development of China's health care system.

Key words: Advanced Practice Nurse; primary criteria; core competency; job responsibility