Abstract
This article aims to explore the views of doctors and nurses, who care for people with diabetes, about the prescribing programme. Interviews with 10 nurse prescribers, nine doctors and three non-nurse prescribers were conducted in nine case study sites across England between October 2007 and September 2008. Prescribing was seen as a natural extension of advanced nursing roles adopted by nurses caring for people with diabetes. Nurses considered it important to obtain sound knowledge in areas in which they intended to prescribe before undertaking the course. Variation across prescribing programmes with regards to the level of work required of students and the way in which courses were run were reported. Most doctors thought it beneficial for nurses to be involved in mentorship, although doctors' continued involvement was considered necessary. Prescribing supports advanced nursing practice in the care of people with diabetes. Nurses considering undertaking the prescribing course need to be aware of the variations across prescribing programmes with regards to the level of work required. There is support for joint mentorship between nurse prescribers and doctors for students undertaking taking the prescribing course.