A registered nurse (RN) with advanced training in a particular medical specialty.
A registered nurse qualified and specially trained to provide primary care, including primary health care in homes and in ambulatory care facilities, long-term care facilities and other health care institutions. Nurse practitioners generally function under supervision of a physician but not necessarily in his presence. They are usually salaried rather than being reimbursed on a fee-for-service basis, although the supervising physician may receive fee-for-service reimbursement for the their services.
A nurse with special training (often including a master’s degree) and experience in a particular area of nursing. Well-baby examinations are sometimes given by a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP), working alone or as part of a doctor/nurse team. A family nurse practitioner (FNP) often works in collaboration with primary health care providers to help families who have continuing long-term medical needs, such as a child with spina bifida.
Also known as an NP, an advanced practice nurse specially trained for a role in primary care. Types of nurse practitioners include family nurse practitioners, pediatric nurse practitioners, school nurse practitioners, adult nurse practitioners, women’s health care nurse practitioners, and geriatric nurse practitioners.
A licensed registered nurse who has had advanced preparation for practice that includes 9 to 24 months of supervised clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of illness. The NP concept was developed in 1965 by Henry Silver, MD, and Loretta Ford, RN. Most contemporary NP programs are at the master’s degree level; graduates are prepared for primary care practice in family medicine, women’s health, neonatology, pediatrics, school health, geriatrics, or mental health. Nurse practitioners may work in collaborative practice with physicians or independently in private practice or in nursing clinics. Depending upon state laws, NPs may be allowed to write prescriptions for medications.