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What is a Nurse Practitioner or NP?
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who have additional education and nursing experience, which enables them to:
- Autonomously diagnose and treat illnesses
- Order and interpret tests
- Prescribe medications
- Perform medical procedures
NPs are health-care professionals who treat the whole person, an approach that includes:
- Addressing needs relating to a person’s physical and mental health
- Gathering medical history
- Focusing on how an illness affects a person’s life and family
- Offering ways for a person to lead a healthy life
- Teaching persons how to manage chronic illness
NPs are also educators and researchers who can be consulted by other health-care team members.
Where do NP's Work?
In Saskatchewan, the majority of nurse practitioners practice in clinic settings with a primary care focus. Saskatchewan also has a small group of nurse practitioners with a narrower focus of practice including older adults in long term care facilities, all age patients in emergent care settings, neonatal and pediatric care units, and various other niches in specialized practice.
What services do NPs provide?
NPs have extensive knowledge and skills. They are able to provide care from well babies and families to critically ill patients in intensive care units. NPs treat the whole person. The provision of services will depend on the setting but they can treat and diagnosis illness refer to specialist and interpret diagnostics. Some NPs have the ability to provide minor surgeries, stitches, casts mental health, IUDs and Medical Assistance in Dying. NPs are accountable for their own practice. It is there sole responsibility to communicate with patients test results, treatment plans, and are responsible for follow up. NPs may counsel patients on health management, alternative therapies and rehabilitation strategies. NPs in Saskatchewan may also now admit and discharge within health care facilities.
NPs are under their scope of practice are able to :
- diagnose and treat illness
- order and interpret diagnostic test ( e.g. lab, Xray, CT and MRI)
- prescribe medication
- perform medical procedures (e.g. suturing and mole removal)
- arrange referrals to a specialist when required
- manage chronic disease such (e.g. diabetes, COPD)
- manage mental illness
- routine screening (e.g. cancers, kidney disease, diabetes)
- women's health (e.g. prenatal care, PAPS)
Do NPs replace other health care professionals?
NPs work with, rather than replace, other health-care providers. They are part of a collaborative team that includes registered nurses, doctors, social workers and others. While seeing an NP, you can still see your family doctor or any other health-care provider.
Do I need a family doctor too?
NPs are independent health care providers. NPs provide a wide range of services similar to family doctors.
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