A Nurse Practitioner's View

It seems these days, anyone and everyone is willing to share their thoughts and opinions about the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. These include non-nurses and nurses alike. Well, I thought I'd take a stab at it as well since I am now 2/3 through my pursuit of the DNP. If you were to strictly listen to some of those opinions, you would have a very poor view of just what exactly this academic degree is and what it can (and can't) do. Perhaps I can dispel or at least clarify some of these points, at least from my view. First, no one is "forcing" anyone to go back to school to get this degree. The 140,000+ already practicing NPs will continue to practice without the need to return for formal academic education. However, starting in 2015 , it is presumed that MS programs will transition to the DNP. Second, there is some variation in the DNP program types. This is incredibly frustrating to me since not all programs are created equal. The DNP is not synonymous with...

Here is an article that refers to the NP led clinics that are flourishing in Canada. Canada established NP run clinics in 2007 and is continuing to add more as they are filling an important void in primary care. The article wonderfully points out that this initiative is collaborative an is not looking to supplant anyone else (for those worried about that). Great read. I'm hopeful that people are paying attention.

One can find a myriad of commentaries written on the future of primary care now that health insurance reform has passed. Many of these refer to nurse practitioner led clinics and how this can be one possible solution to care for the millions of Americans that will now have health insurance. Of course, I am a proponent of NP guided care and believe that patients form long lasting partnerships with NPs to help make choices about their health and wellness. As I've stated before, NPs are not brand new to the health system and have a 30+ year history of providing high quality care. A number of NPs right now own their own practices while others can be found in school-based clinics, hospitals and physician's offices. Unfortunately, NPs face many of the same types of issues that has driven physicians out of primary care. Dr. Karen Li wrote a wonderful column, " Why I Left Pediatrics ," that describes the reality of the barriers in health care. We simply cannot expect NPs to ...

The Future is Bright for Careers in Nursing If you listen to the media pundits, you probably think that now is the worst time in recent history to be entering the job market. With our country experiencing a definite financial downturn and the global economy in serious jeopardy, this is true for most career options. But some occupations are holding steady and even seem poised to expand in the coming years. Nursing is one such line of employment. From becoming a registered nurse in an ER or private practice to offering assistance and education to children as a school nurse to entering a caregiver situation in a private home, opportunities in nursing do not seem likely to subside over the next decade and here’s why. For starters, everyone needs health care. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but we’re all going to contract an illness, have an accident, or simply experience failing health at some point in our lives. We’ll need a nurse (or at the very least, our doctor wil...

Just wanted to say Thanks to anyone who voted for my blog at Lydia's Uniforms site. My blog won the Top Nurse Blog ! Again, thank you for reading and voting. Stephen

I was saddened to see an advertisement in the local paper for a new clinic which will be opening up. I'm very happy about the clinic and the fact that a good friend of mine will be the Nurse Practitioner (NP) there. She starts in a couple of weeks. Until then, another NP friend of mine is filling in. They had a ribbon cutting ceremony and pictures were taken outside the building for the local paper. This photo included staff members from the clinic, including a very professional-looking NP, the clinic manager, a "supervising physician," and some local "important people." All this looks great on the surface to the casual observer. Then I read the article. The only mention of the NP was to say that she is "a good listener." Well so what?? Plants are good listeners. Don't get me wrong, listening is a skill that all medical providers need to master, because most of our work is accomplished and proper diagnoses are made because we listen; but one must h...

Have you ever wanted to write a blog but didn't have the time to keep up with it? Do you already blog and would like to get some additional exposure and cross-readership? If the answer is yes, I invite you to submit a guest blog post! E-mail me at anpview at gmail dot com and submit your post. Here are some guidelines: Have your writing be related to something you are passionate about (in the health care field) A minimum of 250 words That's it! So, put on your writing caps and send me your post. Please include your contact information too (it won't be published unless you request it). Hope to hear from you soon! Stephen

An op-ed piece was recently written by the president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York, entitled, Take Advantage, New York, of our nurse practitioners . As if on cue, the medical society in New York played the same old card under the guise of "patient safety" and responded with their take on the issue, Rules exist to protect patients . Any regular reader of this blog knows the countless times I have pointed out the bogus claims that organized medicine uses as scare tactics that ultimately translate into turf protection. In this article, the author claims a "maldistribution" of the physician and nurse practitioner workforce. See, we don't really have a problem, its just that patients are in the wrong areas of the state! Perhaps we can find some grant money to redistribute patients to where there are so many providers in the vast utopia where most of us in NY live. This of course is where no one needs to wait for an appointment and access to provid...