Nurse practitioners-the core of our trauma service.

There are many different roles in which acute care nurse practitioners can function. At our institution, the trauma nurse practitioners work in partnership with the trauma attendings to lead the plan of care. The nurse practitioners' holistic approach, emphasis on communication, attention to detail, flexibility and availability has had a substantial impact on patient outcomes as well as staff satisfaction. In this article, we provide an overview of our unique role and the impact on quality of care.