For over a decade, AAENP has been actively engaged in conversations and efforts to advance recognition of the unique role nurse practitioners play in emergency care settings. The lack of consistent national recognition is increasingly causing barriers in licensure, credentialing, reimbursement, and ultimately patient access to care. In response, AAENP determined that the emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) should be recognized fully as a new and unique entry-level population for nurse practitioners with the 2008 APRN Consensus Model. This change has broad implications ranging from educational programs to employers and third-party payors. Understanding the multitude of perspectives is essential in the creation of pathways to sustain NP roles in emergency care. To guide this work, AAENP established a roadmap of crucial milestones, guiding engagement of stakeholders and organizations.
Steady progress has been made! Since 2018, AAENP has progressed along this pathway towards ENP as a population. Significant milestones along the way include:
- Many national organizational meetings & stakeholder discussions
- Addition of AAENP Representatives to the LACE network in 2021
- Roundtable discussions held for both Program Directors (February 2021) & Employer (April 2023)
- Academic ENP Program Dean’s Roundtable held June 2022
- Creation of a National ENP Population Task Force facilitated by AAENP
In 2024, a formal proposal was submitted to LACE, and the work to create this
population is now actively underway. Ongoing conversations have bolstered the
progress. Most recently, members of the Task Force convened in San Diego, CA in June
2025 to explore implementation steps. Plans for a second meeting to be held in the Fall
of 2025 are currently being established as a final step in this historic process.
For more information or to join this work, feel free to email Exdir@aaenp-natl.org
By Jen Wilbeck, DNP, APRN, FAANP, FAAN