Nurse endoscopist training: the next step.

Nurses have been successfully performing flexible sigmoidoscopy since the early 1970s. There are numerous studies, in both medical and nursing literature, indicating that nurses can perform this traditional physician role safely and efficiently. Both the American Society of Gastroenterology Endoscopists (ASGE) and Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA) have endorsed this practice. Programs appropriate for training the nurse endoscopist, however, have not been defined. Although similarities exist in the literature about how nurses and other nonphysician endoscopists are trained, there are also many discrepancies. If nurses are to take a proactive stance in overseeing nursing practice, objective criteria and clinical competencies need to be established. This is the next step in establishing standard acceptance by the medical community and public.