Nurse practitioners are becoming established clinicians in the intensive care unit. This article describes the integration of nurse practitioners into the Critical Care Medicine Service at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. The development and current form of the nurse practitioner role is detailed. The model of employing nurse practitioners in an academic critical care medicine service is provided as a blueprint for other institutions facing a shortage of intensivists. This study addresses future direction for program development.
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Hoffman LA, Happ MB, Scharfenberg C., DiVirgilio-Thomas D., Tasota FJPerceptions of physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists about the role of acute care nurse practitioners. Am J Crit Care. 2004;13:480-488. We acknowledge the professional support of Michael Gropper, MD; Amada Apacible , NP; Maureen Arriola, NP; Bowman Beeman, NP; Kenneth Johnson, NP; Andrea Loffink, NP; Gil Ponsones, NP; Stacy Mills, NP; Mellyn Reading, NP; Meadow Rose, NP; and Jennifer Schwarz, NP
