NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner (AANP)

The nurse practitioner (NP) role has a rich history, beginning with its co-creation by Drs. Loretta Ford and Henry Silver in 1965 — and there are now more than 355,000 NPs licensed to practice in the U.S.!

Hear from American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) Region 1 Director Dr. Valerie Fuller, Vermont State Liaison Michelle Wade, AANP Fellow Dr. Christina Calamaro and AANP members Dr. Joy Deupree and Eliana Marcus Aaron as they share why they chose to become an NP, provide examples of NP innovation and advocacy in action, highlight the value of networking and discuss the continued importance of advocating for advanced practice nurses and patients — here in the U.S. and abroad.

Prepare to celebrate National NP Week Nov. 13-19 by downloading the resource guide and sharing your NP story with AANP. To increase your advocacy skills, register for the 2023 AANP Health Policy Conference, which is scheduled to be held Jan. 29-31 in Washington, D.C.

In this episode, AANP members Drs. Ruth Carrico and Audrey Stevenson examine real-world influenza vaccination safety and efficacy evidence. They also discuss how nurse practitioners (NPs) can integrate evidence-based strategies to promote influenza vaccination and reduce disparities in vaccination rates.

Download a related resource tool for NPs. 

Hear from AANP member Dr. Pamela Jeffries, author of The NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory, as she discusses why she chose to become a nurse, her career trajectory, current role, NP education, simulation and more. Jeffries is renowned for her leadership and research in both nursing and health care education. An innovator in teaching strategies, experiential learning, new pedagogies and the use of technology, Jeffries is currently the dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.  

Attend the 2023 AANP Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., Jan. 29-31 to earn up to 15 CH of CE credit and gain insights from leading health policy experts. AANP members get more, including significant discounts on conference registration, CE activities and more! If you are not already an AANP member, consider joining this vibrant, impactful NP community today.

In this episode, AANP Fellows Nancy Berman and Dr. Kahlil Demonbreun discuss ways to initiate effective and respectful conversations with women of different ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds who may experience symptoms of menopause and perimenopause differently. They review current guidelines and address common misconceptions regarding the treatment of systemic and genitourinary symptoms.

To earn 1.0 contact hours of continuing education (CE) credit (0.33 of which may be applied to pharmacology), you will need the participation code provided at the end of the podcast. To claim your CE credit, log in and register for the activity within the AANP CE Center, then enter the participation code and complete the posttest and evaluation.

Adding to the information on opioid use disorder (OUD) provided during Episode 65 of the NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner® podcast, AANP Fellow Dr. Laura Leahy and AANP member Colleen Barry return to share their expertise and knowledge on various aspects of OUD management and patient education.

Resources from this episode:

This activity is supported by educational funding provided by Indivior, Inc.

Learn more about AANP at aanp.org and explore dozens of continuing education activities for NPs in the AANP CE Center.

Listen to this episode to learn more about the importance of mentoring and the global growth of advanced practice nursing. Featuring interviews from the 2022 AANP National Conference, you will hear from AANP International APN Ambassadors Joseph Kilsara and Patricija Lunežnik, AANP New York South State Representative Dr. Mary Koslap-Petraco, AANP Fellows Dr. Alison Mitchell and Michelle Knowles and AANP member Dr. Nycole Oliver. 

Nurse practitioners (NPs) Dr. Laura Leahy, an AANP Fellow, and Colleen Barry, an AANP member, join the NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner® podcast to share their expertise on opioid use disorder (OUD). In this episode, they discuss their experience and offer insights on various aspects of OUD, inspiring NPs to consider the importance of using non-stigmatizing words to create a safe place for patients to be open with their health care professionals.

Resources from this episode:

This activity is supported by educational funding provided by Indivior, Inc.

For the third installment of the dean’s series, NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner® features a conversation with Dr. Sarah Szanton, dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and director of its Center on Innovative Care in Aging. Dean Szanton discusses her early career as a health care advocate in Washington, D.C., the observations and experiences that prompted her to enter the nursing profession and the important role nurse practitioners (NPs) and other nurses have in addressing social determinants of health.

If you are interested in earning an educational leadership certificate or earning continuing education credit in six key topical areas, register for the 2022 AANP Fall Conference. You may attend in Anaheim, California, Sept. 15-19, or online Sept. 15-Oct. 12. Remember, members of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) get more, including significant discounts on conference registration. To recognize an NP leader for clinical excellence — or anyone who has made a positive impact by advocating for the NP role — submit a nomination for the 2023 AANP State Award for Excellence before the Sept. 9 deadline.

The APRN Consensus Model was created in 2008 to align the interrelationships between four key components of advanced practice nursing: licensure, accreditation, certification and education — also known as LACE. Hear AANP members Drs. Benjamin Smallheer and Carolina "Callie" Tennyson of Duke University School of Nursing elaborate on these issues and describe an innovative program they've helped develop to support NPs seeking to expand into additional areas of clinical care. Read a Feb. 2022 The Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP) article by Tennyson and Smallheer on Competency-Based Education for Nurse Practitioner Certification Alignment to learn more about this important topic. As a reminder, AANP members enjoy free access to JNP articles. Explore the many benefits of AANP membership today, including the new NPower wellness program and exclusive discounts on conferences, like the 2022 AANP Fall Conference in Anaheim, California, Sept. 15-19. 

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects up to 4% of the U.S. population and impacts patients across the various quality of life domains. In this episode of the NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner® podcast, nurse practitioners Kimberly Kearns and Nastassja Williams discuss the diagnosis and management of IBS as well as the impact IBS has on patients. This podcast is supported by an independent grant from Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Allergan, an AbbVie company. Supplements to this episode include a resource tool for NPs, Navigating IBS Diagnosis and Treatment, and a patient handout, Improving Quality of Life With IBS.

Visit the AANP website to learn more about the benefits of membership; access a variety of useful resources organized by therapeutic area; save on registration for the 2022 AANP Fall Conference in Anaheim, California, Sept. 15-18 and much more.