An Acute Care NP is an advanced practice provider who has education and training which qualifies him or her to independently: (1) perform medicine health assessments (2) order medicine studies (tests) (3) establish a medicine diagnosis by applying a method of differential diagnosis (4) evaluate therapeutic results of medicine interventions and (5) identify complications of medicine therapies. QUALIFICATIONS: See VA Handbook 5005/27, Part II, Appendix G6, March 17, 2009, VHA Directive 2008-049, August 22, 2008. A Nurse Practitioner must be licensed or otherwise recognized as a nurse practitioner in a State, possess a master's degree from a program accredited by the NLNAC or CCNE, and maintain full and current certification as a nurse practitioner from the American Nurses Association or anot