Nurse Practitioners in a Canadian Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital: A Description of Roles and Scope of Practice

The nurse practitioner role is strongly suited to meet the needs of children with complex developmental conditions in pediatric rehabilitation settings as they have a unique combination of clinical expertise. To meet the increasing demands in a large Canadian pediatric rehabilitation hospital, the NP role was implemented in several clinical program settings to improve access to care. This paper describes the contributions of NPs to nine specialized inpatient and outpatient programs in NP-led, collaborative NP and physician or interagency care team models of practice. The initial challenges of role implementation and implications for NP practice, research and leadership are discussed.