Nurse practitioners in emergency care provide health care within an ethical framework, through assessment, diagnosis, and management of health/illness status, to persons of all ages who seek emergency care in an environment that is complex and unpredictable. Nurse practitioners practice autonomously based on state regulation and engage in effective interdisciplinary collaboration with health care professionals. In addition to diagnosing and managing acute episodic and acute exacerbations of chronic illnesses, nurse practitioners in emergency care provide health promotion, disease prevention, and injury prevention services to their patients and families. Nurse practitioners in emergency care also teach and counsel patients and families and act as advocates, consultants, and researchers.
The educational preparation for nurse practitioners requires graduate education (e.g., emergency care concentration, post-master’s degree in nursing specialty, Doctor of Nursing Practice). The nurse practitioner is educationally prepared in the essential knowledge, behaviors, and skills necessary to practice.
In addition to graduate course completion, nurse practitioners in emergency care obtain further educational preparation through various pathways including: 1) successful academic course completion, 2) continuing education course completion, and/or 3) on-the-job instruction in emergency care. The nurse practitioner in emergency care demonstrates entry-level core and emergency competencies.
Advanced Practice in Emergency Nursing
§ Advanced Practice in Emergency Nursing White Paper
§ The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice in Emergency Care
Nurse Practitioner Competencies
Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification Portfolio Validation Program
How do I become a nurse practitioner in emergency care?
There are several programs in the U.S. that offer nurse practitioner in emergency care programs: