But those days are ending. Chicago's Rush University is typical of the strong growth of NP programs. Last year approximately two-thirds of the graduate students were CNSs, and the remainder were NPs. The number of clinical specialties also is growing. NPs manage patients and perform therapeutic procedures that in the past were handled by medical residents.
Most candidates are already CNSs who are retooling their skills to expand their clinical expertise.
They usually are rehired by the hospitals where they work. And interest in acute care NPs is expanding from medical centers to community hospitals. But no one knows how many NPs the market can absorb, or if graduates will be forced to move to find jobs. We're not having a wide enough vision of the future. Schools are starting to phase out other kinds of programs and that's a mistake.