Defining the acute in acute care nurse practitioner.

The role of the nurse practitioner in the tertiary care or hospital setting has become well established during the course of this decade. With the introduction of a national certifying examination for acute care nurse practitioners in 1995, it is important that the word acute be defined in a way that is acknowledged universally. Should an examination certifying acute care nurse practitioners contain critical care content? Are the terms acute care and critical care synonymous? The existing examination contains critical care content, but a review of relevant literature suggests a conflict.