Nurse Practitioners Everything You Need To Know about NPs
PRACTICING CLINICIANS EXCHANGE - the national leader in continuing medical education for Nurse Practitioners.
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 Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Are a Growing
National Healthcare Trend
Significant changes are occurring in healthcare
today. Fewer physicians practice in
primary care, while the aging patient population
grows, and economics influence
staffing decisions. This has led to a
demand for nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants
(PAs), who are playing a greater role than ever in patient care.
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Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Can Prescribe in All States
- Physician Assistants (PAs) can prescribe under the guidance of a physician in
all 50 states and the District of Columbia
- Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are authorized to prescribe in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia, with 38 states requiring physician
involvement (see map)
Sources: American Academy of Physician Assistants. PA prescribing:
education and delegation. Issue Brief. June 2007; Pearson LJ. The
Pearson Report. Am J Nurse Pract. 2008;12:1-80.
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Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Write New Prescriptions
and Are Key to Patient Adherence
Source: Tinsley R, Carl T. The prescribing impact of nurse practitioners
and physician assistants grows. Inflection Point. November 2004;1-3.
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US Population of Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
Sources: American Academy of Physician Assistants; Accreditation Review
Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant; Physician Assistant
Education Association; AANP 2008 NP Practice Site Survey (n = 35,000);
2004 AANP NP Sample Survey (n = 16,500); Robert Graham Center.
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How Are Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Educated?
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Nurse Practitioner (NP)
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Physician Assistant (PA)
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Affiliated with nursing schools
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Affiliated with medical schools
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BSN is prerequisite
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Previous healthcare experience
required; many have entry level
bachelor’s degree
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Biopsychosocial-based curriculum
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Advanced science-based curriculum
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~500 didactic hours and 500-700 clinical hours
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~1000 didactic hours and over 2000 clinical hours
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Specialty training in adult, acute care, pediatric, women’s health, or gerontology
- Emphasis on patient education, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
- Generally not trained for surgical settings
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Trained as generalists
- Some receive postgraduate specialty training
- Procedure- and skill- oriented with emphasis on diagnosis, treatment, surgical skills, and patient education
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Master’s prepared
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~50% of programs award master’s
degrees; all are currently
transitioning to the master’s level
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354 schools in 2008–up from 119 in 1992
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142 schools in 2008–up from 56 in 1990
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Sources: Pearson LJ. The Pearson Report. Am J Nurse Pract.
2008;12:1-80. American Academy of Physician Assistants; Accreditation
Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant; Physician
Assistant Education Association; www.ana.org; WI Regulatory Digest;
www.nonpf.org.
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Practicing Clinicians Exchange (PCE) is the national leader in continuing education created specifically for Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs). We provide free Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education (CE) credits for Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs). 
 Each year, PCE’s innovative, multisupported Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education (CE) initiative - including our live national symposia and our online home-study/Internet-based activities - help educate thousands of NP & PA clinicians. For educational support opportunities and free CME/CE credits, please contact: www.practicingclinicians.com.
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