The Nurse Practicioner Advantage

ABSTRACT

Canadians have seen a constant deterioration in the existing health care system. Current wait times have exceeded accepted limits and medical manpower has significantly decreased. In reaction to these growing problems Canada's health care officials have began implementing a relatively new role for nurses into the health care system. The nurse practitioner has a master's degree in nursing and additional education in medical care. By employing the nurse practitioner in many areas of health care there has been an increase in access to existing recourses, decreased wait times, improved health outcomes by early diagnosis and overall health education.

THE NURSE PRACTITIONER ADVANTAGE

Did you know that over 3.5 million Canadians are with out a family a doctor, or that average wait times to see a doctor range from 1-4 days to even 3-4 months? ("Change management," 2005, p.20). With our population increasing daily and a huge generation