Purpose: To determine characteristics of nurse practitioners (NPs) who provide emergency care.
Data sources: Descriptive cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of 113 NPs in emergency care obtained from the online Resource Directory of Nurse Practitioners in Emergency Care.
Conclusions: The majority of NPs in emergency care worked in facilities that were located in urban/suburban areas, were responsible for providing care in both the main emergency department and fast track area, held a Master of Science degree in nursing, obtained their education as a family nurse practitioner, and were certified as an NP by a national certifying agency. They were experienced registered nurses before becoming an NP but were relatively new to the NP role.
Implications: The results of this study provide information about characteristics of NPs who provide emergency care.