Many patients are introduced to their first nurse-practitioner because their regular doctors aren’t available for an urgent appointment. These people generally learn that nurse-practitioners provide services similar to those of physicians. In fact, some people prefer seeing a nurse-practitioner, because he or she can often spend more time with patients and provide a more personal experience.

Although common today, the profession of nurse-practitioner was unknown until 1965, when a national physician shortage inspired the University of Colorado to offer the training. Programs soon spread across the country. More than 120,000 nurse-practitioners serve patients today, and hundreds of universities offer degree programs.

Most nurse-practitioners earn master’s degrees or doctorates and go to work in clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care sites, nursing homes, schools, and private practices. Nurse-practitioners perform many of the same tasks as doctors, and in many states they can prescribe medications. They also practice in specialties such as allergies and immunology, cardiovascular health, dermatology, and emergency medicine. For example, pediatric nurse-practitioners educate children and their families about growth and development issues such as toilet training, temper tantrums, and biting.

According to the American Nurses Association, it is estimated that nurse-practitioners can perform approximately 60 to 80 percent of primary and preventive care. They learn a unique approach that stresses both care and cure, and their practice focuses on health promotion, disease prevention, and education.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Some of the first nurse-practitioner training programs were inspired by the military’s effort in World War II to rush doctors through medical school to ensure that there would be enough medics on the front lines.
  2. Nurse-practitioners may also be referred to as advanced practice nurses, or APNs.
  3. Some states require a doctor to cosign prescriptions written by a nurse-practitioner.