Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists: changing care in acute care hospitals in New York City.
To respond to the shrinking pool of primary care physicians and to demands from managed care programs for cost containment, hospitals in New York City have increased their use of nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists, creating an increased demand for these personnel. We report here on a survey of hospitals and schools of nursing in New York City and present findings on (a) current use of, and projected demand for nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse midwives (midwives) and nurse anesthetists (anesthetists) in hospitals in New York City; (b) the practice patterns of NPs, midwives, and anesthetists currently employed in hospitals; and (c) current and projected enrollment and curriculum in NP, midwifery, and anesthetist education programs in the New York metropolitan area.