Nurse practitioners play such an important role in healthcare so let’s learn more about the profession. The CEO and president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners join us on this episode to share their accomplishments, challenges, and goals to improve the industry and empower their nurses. Did you know the CEO of the Nurse Practitioners used to work for the AANA? Come join us for a great conversation. 

Here's what we have on this episode: 

1:46 – Welcome in our guests Sophia Thomas and David Hebert

3:06 – What is a nurse practitioner?

4:44 – Tell us more about your organization, AANP

5:47 – Sophia explains how the AANP is structured.

6:44 – David talks about his role at AANP and a little about the role of nurse practitioners.

8:41 – Why lobbying is so important in this line of work.

9:27 – The AANP has really increased their PR and media efforts in recent years.

11:31 – What are the challenges facing nurse practitioners today?

12:29 – David explains why nurse practitioners should be able to work independently.

14:23 – 28 states still require some sort of collaborations and that makes it difficult on NPs.

17:15 – It’s important for everyone in the profession to understand the issues and then get involved politically.

20:02 – Sharon talks about her goals to get nurses involved in the formulation side of the profession.

22:57 – We want to empower nurses to do more than just work and go home.  

23:46 – Quality and cost of healthcare is important to consumers, but so is convenience. These are things that nurse practitioners can provide.   

27:01 – A unified voice in the profession is very important and that’s the goal of the AANP.

28:26 – How does your credentialing work?

30:40 – What is David most proud of in his role at the AANP?

31:51 – David shares his history with AANA and what he remembers about that role.

34:18 – Some final thoughts from Sophia on the history of the profession.  

To get the full show notes and additional resources from Beyond the Mask, click here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/?p=2108