Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice Registered Nurses who offer personalized and high-quality care to patients through a range of health services. NPs provide care for diverse populations of all ages with a focus on preventing disease, promoting good health and curing illness. Similar to their physician colleagues, NPs have extensive clinical training and expertise to be able to autonomously complete assessments, order and interpret tests, diagnose, treat (perform procedures), prescribe medications, and manage overall care while using a holistic model of care. NPs engage in health-related referrals, clinical and pharmacological treatment, and coordination with multidisciplinary teams aimed at supporting and enhancing patient and family care.

To become an NP in Alberta, one receives extensive training and clinical practice. As a pre-requisite, NPs must be Registered Nurses who have a minimum of 4500 hours of clinical practice followed by successful completion of a Master of Nursing (MN) program. The Master’s program takes 2-3 years to complete and includes courses in advanced health assessment, advanced pathophysiology, therapeutics, and roles and responsibilities as well as 728 clinical practice hours in the primary health care NP program and 800 clinical hours in the pediatric or adult NP program. The completion of the course work and integrated clinical practicum leads to a final national Nurse Practitioner exam for the speciality area of practice and registration through the provincial regulatory board to become an NP. In addition to their years of education, they are required to participate in ongoing professional development to maintain and enhance their competence.

NPs are a regulated profession under the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) and are registered with professional associations (CRNA, NPAA, NPAC, AAN and/or CNA). 

Read more about Essential Health Services and how they could benefit you.