Nurse Practitioners

<ul><li>Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.</li><li>Diagnose or treat acute health care problems, such as illnesses, infections, or injuries.</li><li>Prescribe medications based on efficacy, safety, and cost as legally authorized.</li><li>Recommend diagnostic or therapeutic interventions with attention to safety, cost, invasiveness, simplicity, acceptability, adherence, and efficacy.</li><li>Educate patients about self-management of acute or chronic illnesses, tailoring instructions to patients' individual circumstances.</li><li>Prescribe medication dosages, routes, and frequencies, based on such patient characteristics as age and gender.</li><li>Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests, such as complete blood counts (CBCs), electrocardiograms (EKGs), and radiographs (x-rays).</li><li>Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.</li><li>Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines.</li><li>Recommend interventions to modify behavior associated with health risks.</li><li>Detect and respond to adverse drug reactions, with special attention to vulnerable populations such as infants, children, pregnant and lactating women, or older adults.</li><li>Counsel patients about drug regimens and possible side effects or interactions with other substances, such as food supplements, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, or herbal remedies.</li><li>Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.</li><li>Diagnose or treat chronic health care problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.</li><li>Treat or refer patients for primary care conditions, such as headaches, hypertension, urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, and dermatological conditions.</li><li>Consult with, or refer patients to, appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise.</li><li>Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability.</li><li>Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.</li><li>Schedule follow-up visits to monitor patients or evaluate health or illness care.</li><li>Perform routine or annual physical examinations.</li><li>Supervise or coordinate patient care or support staff activities.</li><li>Maintain current knowledge of state legal regulations for nurse practitioner practice, including reimbursement of services.</li><li>Provide patients or caregivers with assistance in locating health care resources.</li><li>Maintain departmental policies and procedures in areas such as safety and infection control.</li><li>Perform primary care procedures such as suturing, splinting, administering immunizations, taking cultures, and debriding wounds.</li><li>Advocate for accessible health care that minimizes environmental health risks.</li><li>Keep abreast of regulatory processes and payer systems, such as Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and private sources.</li></ul>