Viewpoint: Tell legislators that nurse practitioners are valued professionals
In response to Dr. Richard Feldman’s elitist opinion related to advanced practice registered nurses, I must strongly oppose his logic in many ways. APRNs are prepared to practice nursing to improve patient outcomes and translate research into practice. I maintain a nursing license in Indiana where I live seasonally and an autonomous advanced practice nurse license in Florida. I have had the opportunity to see how necessary and valuable these dedicated professionals were during the pandemic. Many more lives would have been lost without their contributions.
It is most certainly a turf war. APRNs are generally the first line of defense in a medical problem. Most function as primary care providers, much like doctors who are general practitioners or family practice doctors. In a way that is identical, those cases which require experts in a specific field — like orthopedics, neurology, surgery or pediatrics —get referred.
Over the past 40 years, after graduating from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame and practicing at Saint Joseph’s Medical Center, I have experienced and learned much that is essential. I have continued on, as many nurses do, to graduate level nurse practitioner and doctorate in nursing from The Catholic University of America. I have trained Saint Mary’s College and Bethel University nursing students, both undergraduate and graduate level. I have taught one day a week for 18 years at Florida Gulf Coast University and Nova here in Florida. In addition, I have operated a home health agency for 30 years.
The clinical training hours for an APRN are, in fact, 3,000 clinical hours. In addition, there are national certification boards: American Association of Nurse Practitioners or Pediatric Nurse Certification Board or Acute Care Nurse Practitioners and many others. Here is the mechanism by which continuing education is continually updated. These national organizations, along with the schools who provide nurse practitioners, are built upon traditional master’s or doctoral programs by providing content in evidenced-based practice, quality improvement and systems leadership. These young people who desire to advance need encouragement along with the skill sets to perform.
About the medical shortages, yes, APRNs can relieve much of the stress and wait times for office visits. In January 2023, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses sent a letter to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives welcoming them to the 118th Congress and outlining our shared academic nursing priorities. It is imperative that your Indiana state legislators hear directly from both APRNs and the clients whom they serve to see progress for our shared health care futures. Nurse practitioners are valued professionals.
Jane Cox is a nurse practitioner with a doctorate in nursing.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana APRNs are prepared to practice nursing and improve patient outcomes.
