- The Nurse Practitioner - Advanced Nursing Practice in Canada
A nurse practitioner(NP) is a registered nurse who is prepared with advanced education and clinical training
to practice in an advanced nursing practice role.
This role includes practices that have traditionally been out of the nursing scope of
practice for a registered nurse such as:
diagnosing and treating common acute illnesses
managing stable chronic illnesses
prescribing certain medications
ordering and interpreting specified lab tests and X-rays
Clinical Nurse Specialist - advanced registered nursing practice role that reflects advanced
education and theory for specialized client problems. There is no
identified set of competencies for a clinical nurse specialist and no entrance exam.
The CNS must practice within the nursing scope of practice of a registered nurse.
Nurse Practitioner-advanced nursing practice role that requires advanced education and specific identified competencies. In many
provinces there will be a defined nursing scope of practice for a NP or permission under the regulating statutes to engage in "controlled or reserved" acts such
as ordering diagnostic tests, diagnosing health problems, and prescribing drugs.
In order to take education as a NP you must have already completed the nursing
entrance test for Canada (CRNE) and had work experience as a nurse. Once the specific NP education is completed then you must write another licensing exam in order to practice.
The Ontario government has put a plan in place to establish primary health care clinics that use nurse
practitioners, doctors, and other health care professionals in the specialities of pharmacy, social work, and nutrition.
They plan to have over 25 such clinics in place by 2012.
All provinces in Canada now have legislation for regulation of the advanced practice role of a NP.
Ontario was the first province to pass such legislation in 1991 and the provincial government
has been moving ahead with expanding the NP role within the
Canadian health care system.
As of 2010 there are about 2,772 active NP licenses in Canada.
Because the role is so new many health care providers may not understand exactly what a
nurse practitioner does and how they can be best utilized within the system of Canadian
health care.
All evaluations of NP led clinics have been positive. Individual surveys, focus groups and
other feedback mechanisms show good satisfaction ratings for categories such as physician integration,
patient satisfaction and awareness and understanding.
Hopefully Ontario's example will provide much needed real life experience that
other provinces can learn from.
Go back to the Nursing Profession is Regulated by Nursing Laws in Canada
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