by Dr. David Rice, Chief Medical Officer, Franklin Memorial Hospital
During National Nurse Practitioner Week, Nov. 10-16, Franklin Memorial Hospital is taking the opportunity to increase awareness of the growing group of clinicians who serve as essential frontline providers.
In 1965, a nurse, Loretta Ford, and a physician, Henry Silver, started the first Nurse Practitioner training in the U.S. at the University of Colorado. Since then the role of NPs has expanded exponentially from providing primary care to acute and specialty care for patients of all ages. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, there are now more than 270,000 licensed NPs practicing in the U.S. and more than 72 percent deliver primary care.
All NPs begin their careers as registered nurses first, before completing additional intensive advanced nursing practice degrees and clinical training. And, many patients choose NPs as their provider of choice because of this unique combination of nursing and medical expertise, and a focus on health promotion, disease prevention and education.
For years NPs have been filling the primary care gap in the U.S., which continues to grow due to an aging population and fewer physicians entering primary care programs. NPs are a growing part of the primary care solution to mitigate the gap between supply and demand.
Nurse practitioners can provide a wide range of health care services such as ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic tests; diagnosing and treating acute and chronic diseases; prescribing medications and treatments; and managing many elements of patient care.
When a new graduate nurse practitioner joins our health system, they partner with a physician preceptor for the first six months of employment for orientation, support, and education to help with the transition from student to practicing NP. This team partnership allows for focused training to enhance clinical knowledge and skills. This type of formal orientation has been found to help promote a sense of confidence, competence, and satisfaction for the new NP.
At Franklin Memorial Hospital we employ NPs largely in primary care, but also in specialty areas such as psychiatric mental health, inpatient hospital care, and cardiology. As we celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week, please take the time to thank a NP for her contributions to our community’s health.
