Nurse-Managed Health Centers - About Our Nurse Practitioners
Nurse Practitioners (NP) provide a unique combination of diagnosis, treatment and wellness consultation. They are not only educated to find and treat health problems, but to learn about, understand and work with their patients in a personalized, caring and comforting way.
Over 2,600 Arizona NPs work in a variety of specialties, including: Family, Adult, Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Geriatrics and Acute Care. Many practice in sub-specialty areas, such as: Cardiology, Pulmonary, Immunology and Rheumatology, to name a few.
Services Provided by a Nurse Practitioner
- Complete physical examinations (sports or work physicals)
- Diagnosis and treatment for common health problems
- Prescribe medications and other treatments
- Order and interpret laboratory results and X-rays
- Refer patients to other healthcare professionals
- Provide healthcare teaching and supportive patient counseling, including health maintenance and illness prevention
History of Nurse Practitioners
The Nurse Practitioner role evolved in the mid-1960s as a way to prepare nurses with advanced education and training to provide primary care to children. The first NP program was developed as a Master’s degree curriculum at the University of Colorado School of Nursing, co-founded by a nursing faculty member and a pediatrician. Other NP specialties have been developed to provide health care services to all age groups and to meet all types of healthcare needs. Nurse practitioners are now educated at both the masters (MS) and doctoral (DNP) levels.
