title: Advanced practice nurses in emergency care settings: A demographic profile.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Very little is known about clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners (advance practice nurses [APNs]) who practice in emergency care settings. The Advanced Practice Committee of the ENA sought to determine a profile of these individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surveys were distributed to all registrants at 2 ENA conferences and posted on the ENA Web site. This survey asked 17 questions concerning the demographic characteristics of the APN respondents (eg, education, experience, certification, state recognition, and practice area). The survey was completed by 166 APNs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  APNs had considerable experience as ED registered nurses before becoming an APN. They obtained their APN education at the master's degree or post-master's degree level. State recognition was required for 89.2% of the APNs. The majority of APNs (61.4%) obtained their certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Nurse practitioners were predominantly family nurse practitioners (43%), and clinical nurse specialists were either critical care clinical nurse specialists (8.9%) or had other certifications (5.9%). APNs provided services in both the main emergency department and the fast track (45.7%) and were relatively new to their role as an APN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consistent with current educational and certification requirements, the vast majority of APNs held a master's degree. Although relatively new to their role as APNs in emergency care, they were nonetheless very experienced as ED registered nurses. The majority of APNs were certified, even though that is not required for practice in all states. Continued research is needed to identify the most effective utilization of APNs, document their contributions to patient care outcomes, and develop strategies to meet their educational and practice needs.
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Kuensting
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maclean
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abel
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mickanin
authors.forename: Patty
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brueske
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rehwaldt
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003710:Demography; D004522:Educational Status; D016529:Emergency Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D015399:Nursing Research; D016526:Workload