As the demands of critical care medicine increase one viable option to meet needs is the addition of a nurse practitioner to the traditional structure of the critical care team. The purpose of this article is to convey our positive experience of physician and nurse practitioner integration into the critical care setting. The addition of nurse practitioners is meant to bolster the current interdisciplinary team so as to fulfil genuine and unmet needs, not to usurp or compete with the role of an intensivist. Key areas where a nurse practitioner might be of particular benefit include providing continuity of care, quality assurance and increased sense of patient and family connection with providers.

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