Participation of an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Group in a Medical—Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

In this article, the authors describe their experience as acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) providing immediate, acute clinical care in a medical—surgical intensive care unit of a large private practice tertiary care hospital. ACNPs represent a subset of the growing group of advance practice registered nurses (ACRNs). The role of ACRNs has evolved over time and this article describes the national education and certification requirements for this important group of health professionals. This article describes the details of the efforts to integrate ACNPs into an intensivist-led medical—surgical intensive care unit.