Beth Baxter, Nurse Practitioner Helping you live a better life - wholistically    Who are Nurse Practitioners? Nurse practitioners are primary health care practitioners who are Registered Nurses (RN) with advanced university degrees, most commonly a Master of Science degree. During the education of the NP, classroom and clinical courses provide specialized knowledge and clinical competency enabling NP's to provide high quality health care services. NP's are licensed by the state in which they practice, are nationally certified in their specialty area and must attend continuing education courses to maintain their license and certification. How do they practice? NP's practice independently and in collaboration with other health care providers. In Indiana, Nurse Practitioners have a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. In this setting the physician agrees to accept referrals, provide consultation and perform quality assurance reviews for the NP. NP's can practice in an office, clinic, hospital, school as well as other outpatient settings. They can be found in clinical areas such as gerontology, emergency, acute care, and psychiatry, occupational, and women's health. What can the NP do? NP's obtain health histories, perform physical examinations, diagnose and manage both acute and chronic illness, with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Services include, but are not limited to, ordering, conducting, and interpreting diagnostic tests, prescription of medication and non-pharmacological treatment as well as referral, teaching and counseling. NP's are excellent health care providers and are fast-becoming integral to the efficient and accessible delivery of care in many health care settings.