Nurse practitioners in a teaching hospital

The development of a model of care using acute care nurse practitioners in a teaching hospital and the integration of the nurse practitioner into an alternative model of care delivery are discussed. Issues in implementation include lack of understanding about the nurse practitioner role on the part of other members of the health care team, legislative constraints, and the administrative restrictions of teaching hospitals. Education of nurses and physicians regarding the scope of practice of the nurse practitioner role, departmental policy changes, and the development of protocols facilitate the efficiency and utilization of the nurse practitioner in this setting. Specific concerns surrounding costs of a nurse practitioner service and practice differences between the clinical nurse specialist and the acute care nurse practitioner are addressed. Nurse practitioner models of care delivery, which address quality, cost-effective care are on the forefront of tomorrow's health care.