Alison Dugdale gives a candid appraisal of what can be learned from undertaking a nurse practitioner degree

The rise in A&E attendances, combined with the shortfall in medical staffing and an increase in patient expectations, has led to changes in nursing and the introduction of the emergency nurse practitioner (ENP). South Kent Hospitals introduced the ENP role in 1995 (Crux 1997). I am one of the ENP’s who undertook the initial training and have continued to work at the Royal Victoria Hospital Folkestone, which is a nurse led minor injuries unit.