A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) who has completed graduate-level education (either a Master's or a Doctoral degree). Additional APN roles include the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)s, CNMs, and CNSs. All Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses who have completed extensive additional education, training, and have a dramatically expanded scope of practice over the traditional RN role. To become licensed to practice, Nurse Practitioners hold national board certification in an area of specialty (such as family, women's health, pediatrics, adult, acute care, etc.), and are licensed through the state nursing boards rather than medical boards. The core philosophy of the field is individualized care. Nurse practitioners focus on patients' conditions as well as the effects of illness on the lives of the patients and their families. NPs make prevention, wellness, and patient education priorities. Another focus is educating patients about their health and encouraging them to make healthy choices. In addition to health care services, NPs conduct research and are often active in patient advocacy activities.
Nurse Practitioners treat both physical and mental conditions through comprehensive history taking, physical exams, physical therapy, and ordering tests and therapies for patients within their scope of practice. NPs can serve as a patient's primary health care provider, and see patients of all ages depending on their designated scope of practice.
In the United States, nurse practitioners have a national board certification. Nurse Practitioners can be trained and nationally certified in areas of Family Health (FNP), Pediatrics, including Pediatric Acute/Chronic Care, Pediatric Critical Care, Pediatric Oncology and general Pediatrics (PNP), Neonatology (NNP), Gerontology (GNP), Women's Health (WHNP), Psychiatry & Mental Health (PMHNP), Acute Care (ACNP), Adult Health (ANP), Oncology (FNP, ACNP, ANP, PNP or ANP) Emergency (as FNP or ACNP), Occupational Health (as ANP), etc. In Canada, NPs are licensed by the province or territory in which they practice.
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