the future of nursing.

I had never heard of Nurse Practitioners until this year of school. From what I believe, it's a graduate Masters/NP course that can be applied for after a few years of work experience. It sounds like quite the growing trend! An article I read in Canadian Living, of all places, was an interview with a NP from Ontario. It went on to say that NP's handle 80 to 85% of patients on their own, without needing to see the patient's doctor. They are like the 'in-between' link from patients to doctors - NP's are person-centered, while Dr's could be labelled as more so health/illness-centered. NP's have the ability to prescribe most medications, as well as schedule tests and other previously known 'physician-only' tasks. Ontario and BC are really jumping on the NP train, and have put millions of dollars towards either integrating NP-operated clinics into practice or boost ingthe numbers of NP's within their province. NP's have a unique and independent leadership role within the health care system. It's really neat to see how the profession of nursing is evolving and gaining more recognition as a 'professional' career. It will be interesting to see how Canadian nursing has changed from now to the time I graduate!

D.