Within traditional healthcare models, nurses had their roles and doctors had their roles; there was no crossover between the specialties. In the USA, in the 1930s, the role of some nurses began to change with the development of the clinical nurse specialist role, followed in 1965 by the first nurse practitioner training course. The role was founded on the principles of the extended role of specialist nurses, but it also openly incorporated traditional medical diagnostic skills. By 2015, over 205,000 nurse practitioners had been trained and registered to work in the USA. While the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has shown a huge leap in healthcare standards in recent years, it is still working with very traditional healthcare roles, with little cross-over between nursing and medical responsibilities. However, this is beginning to show some positive change, with two hospitals in Abu Dhabi now employing advanced nurse practitioners within their medical rosters, and several primary care facilities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai utilising family nurse practitioners in their outpatient clinics. The role of clinical nurse specialists is also becoming more widely seen across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Education provision for advanced practice nursing is now beginning to be available in the UAE, with universities in Dubai and Sharjah offering specialised nursing Master of Science (MSc) courses to enable further education and the development of the current workforce within the UAE.