According to our new 2008 numbers, our Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs), including clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners, wrote an average of 22 prescriptions a day, totaling over 556 million prescriptions with a value of just under $40 billion.  About 96.5% of APNs prescribed medications and treatments, while 74% see three or more patients an hour.  With over 160,000 APNs presently practicing in the US, and over 10,000 new APNs entering the market each year, we expect our influence over the pharmaceutical market to soar to over $80 billion by 2015.  

Furthermore, as evidence-based medicine progresses, the typical acute-and critical-care settings gives most RNs far more drug-related influence.  Most RNs are typically required to verify medication orders, make decisions regarding medication management and make referrals to specialists.  Read our "Journal of Advanced Practice Nursing" to keep abreast of the latest developments.