What is a Nurse Practitioner
A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice nurse with graduate nursing preparation and specialized nursing knowledge and expertise enabling them to respond to the health needs of a particular population. Further to their advanced nursing practice role, the NP can perform eight additional reserved activities including diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications and diagnostic tests, determining medical treatment plans, using invasive medical techniques or treatments, and providing pregnancy care. The NP works autonomously in the context of interprofessional collaboration with nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals.
As an advanced practice nurse, the NP treats the whole person. They consider the impacts of illness on the person and the family and help to identify strengths and resources that enable optimal conditions for health and healing. The NP is also an educator, health advocate and leader. They act as a consultant to the interprofessional team around complex care issues and they are involved in quality improvement and research initiatives to optimize health systems and outcomes.
McGill's Ingram School of Nursing is the only university program in Quebec to offer all five Nurse Practitioner specialties:
