The Emerging Role of APRNs in Hospital Nursing Practice: Perspectives From a Survey of Chief Nursing Officers

The number of and demand for advance practice registered nurses (APRNs)-including nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists-continue to grow. Although the majority of APRNs work in physician practices, community health centers, nurse-managed clinics, schools, or other similar venues, APRNs are increasingly employed by acute care hospitals in a variety of roles. With the changing and expanding of APRN roles comes a need for a better understanding of current practice and how APRNs can be supported in order to maximize the use of their skills and knowledge, especially within the acute care setting.