For those who have heard the term but are unfamiliar with the difference between a Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses (RNs), who then obtain a Masters Degree in Nursing, and can, “diagnose, order tests, prescribe drugs and carry out procedures normally restricted to physicians.”

Dalhousie and Ryerson Universites recently released the results of a joint three-year study on the nurse practitioner role and its value to the healthcare system, and summaries of the report can be found here and here. You can also download the full report through this link http://ryerson.ca/apnltc/pdf/FinalReport.pdf.