The nurse as a consultant.

The use of the term 'consultant' by a nurse may be seen by some as an attempt to encroach into territory which is the rightful preserve of the medical profession but, claim the authors of this article, such thinking is unjustified and reactionary. The various roles of the nurse consultant, and the benefits which can accrue from them, are outlined. Paramount in any consideration of the appropriate status of the consultant role is the need to keep it clinically based.