Perioperative nurse practitioners

Perioperative nursing roles are evolving in response to health care reform, technological developments, and changing opportunities for advanced practice nursing. One response to these changes is the development of the perioperative nurse practitioner role. The perioperative base for this new advanced practice role is described in this article. The advanced practice role is effective in other specialty settings and can be developed readily in a variety of surgical settings. This role requires a master's degree in nursing to provide the academic and practice preparation for clinical decision making and patient management in the perioperative setting. Future opportunities for perioperative advanced practice nursing are discussed.