Practical and legal implications of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in cystoscopy.

Due to looming physician shortages and the increase in demand for quality medical care for the newly insured, as well as the aging Baby Boomer population, there has never been a more important time for physicians, administrators, and the public to endorse and develop the role that nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) will play in the future of medical practice. One way to begin to address this problem is by expanding investments in training, competencies, and certification for NPs and PAs in performing minor procedures, such as cystoscopy, which is currently being performed by NPs and PAs across the United States and United Kingdom safely and with consistently high quality outcomes.