Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with additional graduate education and experience.(1; 2) As regulated health professionals, nurse practitioners have a legislated expanded scope of practice that gives them independent authority to assess, diagnose and provide treatment.(3) This broader scope of practice includes: diagnosing and treating illness, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, prescribing certain drugs, and performing specific medical procedures.(1-4) In this role, evidence has demonstrated that NPs provide equivalent or better patient satisfaction and care than physicians, as well as no difference in quality of care or quality of life.