Who are Nurse Practitioners?
Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses who have completed graduate-level education courses and demonstrated clinical competency in order
to provide primary, acute, and long-term healthcare services to individuals of all
ages ranging from birth through geriatrics. Most NPs today hold a master’s degree
in nursing or medically related field.
What can Nurse Practitioners do?
Nurse Practitioners obtain health histories and provide complete physical examinations; diagnose and treat common acute and chronic health problems; request and interpret laboratory results and X-rays; prescribe and manage medications and other therapies; provide healthcare teaching and supportive patient counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness and health maintenance; and refer patients to other healthcare professionals as needed.
Where do Nurse Practitioners practice?
Nurse practitioners practice in a variety of specialty areas and
settings including independent NP-managed practices, hospitals, employee health
clinics, health maintenance organizations, home healthcare agencies, long term care
facilities, prisons and correctional institutions, physician-managed practices,
psychiatric facilities, schools and college health services.
How many Nurse Practitioners
are currently practicing in Arizona and what are their specialty areas?
There are more than 2,600 NPs currently practicing throughout the
urban and rural areas of Arizona. Specialty areas include: Family, Adult, Women’s
Health, Emergency, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Geriatrics, and Acute Care. In addition, Nurse Practitioners
practice in many subspecialty areas including Cardiology, Pulmonary, Immunology,
and Rheumatology, to name a few.
What organization
regulates the actions of Nurse Practitioners in Arizona?
Nurse Practitioners are certified and regulated by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. Besides performing any task that a registered nurse is able to do, a Nurse Practitioner in the state of Arizona can also perform the following actions:
-
Examine a patient and establish a diagnosis by client history, physical examination, and other criteria.
- Admit into and care for a patient at a healthcare facility.
-
Order, perform, and interpret laboratory, radiographic, and other diagnostic tests.
-
Identify, develop, implement, and evaluate a plan of care for a patient to promote, maintain, and restore health.
-
Prescribe and dispense medication.
-
Refer to and consult with appropriate healthcare professionals.
How are Nurse Practitioners
educated?
Nurse Practitioners are highly educated. Nurse Practitioners must have their registered nursing license before beginning their advanced educational programs, and nearly all NPs hold Master’s degrees. All Nurse Practitioners who will be graduating after 2015 will be required to obtain Doctoral degrees. Currently, there are five graduate degree programs available to Nurse Practitioners in Arizona. These programs are located at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, University of Phoenix, and Grand Canyon University.
What is the difference
between Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants?
There are three important distinctions between these valuable healthcare
professionals in Arizona: educational requirements, supervisory requirements, and
regulatory oversight. Nurse Practitioners are required to be Registered Nurses and
to have Master’s Degrees in Nursing. Physician Assistants’ education may include
a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree, depending upon each program, and most physician
assistants have some type of medical background before the program, but experiences
vary. Nurse Practitioners work independently while collaborating with many different
health care professionals as needed. Physician Assistants require physician supervision.
Nurse Practitioners are licensed by the State Board of Nursing. Physician Assistants
are regulated by the Board of Medical Examiners.
When did the Nurse
Practitioner role come into existence?
The Nurse Practitioner role evolved in response to a nationwide
shortage of healthcare services in the mid-1960s. The first NP program was developed as a
Master’s degree curriculum at the University of Colorado’s School of Nursing, co-founded
jointly by a nursing faculty member and a pediatrician. The first program specialties
were in pediatrics; other healthcare specialties were added shortly after as programs
developed across the country to provide primary health care services to large underserved
populations.