What is a Nurse Practitioner?

A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a Registered Nurse with advanced academic and clinical education and experience. Nurse Practitioners practice under the regulation of the Nurse Practice Act and are licensed by the State Education Department in New York State. Nurse Practitioners are authorized to diagnose, treat and prescribe in collaboration with a licensed physician.

Nurse Practitioners have been in existence for over 30 years. There are more than seven thousands NP's in New York State. NP's take the whole person into account, not just the immediate ailment. NP's provide patient centered care and are specifically educated to teach and support individuals and families in their health care needs.

Studies have shown that NP's are effective in both cost and quality of care and perform as well as physicians in patient diagnosis and management of specific diseases and patient outcomes (from the New York State Coalition of Nurse Practitioners).