The role of the nurse practitioner in level II trauma at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Most institutions undoubtedly value the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) in a variety of specialties. The NPs derive diagnostic decision-making skills from their educational training, which is rooted in the medical model, and through patient-centered, diagnostic reasoning and care planning. Ultimately, NPs provide cost-effective yet comprehensive medical care complemented by a holistic nursing approach. The trauma department at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, has set forth a goal to have all trauma patients either discharged or admitted within 3 hours of arrival to the emergency department. This article is designed to evaluate the efficacy of NP response to level II trauma transfers and the attempt to improve length of stay. Evaluation of the available date does in fact demonstrate that when the NP is available to respond to the level II transfers, the patient length of stay is significantly decreased.