With more than 234,000 licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) providing exceptional health care to patients throughout the country, there is much to celebrate during this year's National Nurse Practitioner Week. Health care depends on the expert knowledge and clinical expertise of NPs to meet today's patient and public health needs. The faith that patients have in nurse practitioners is evidenced by the more than 1.02 billion visits made to NPs annually.
Eighty nine percent of NPs are certified in an area of primary care, thus creating expert providers for the ever-growing number of people in need of patient-centered, high-quality, comprehensive health care. In addition to providing expert patient care, NPs also spend time with their patients, educating them on making better lifestyle and health care decisions, which can ultimately benefit them, their families and communities, while lowering the cost of care. To make patient access to NPs even greater, 22 states and the District of Columbia have removed outdated barriers to NP practice, giving patients full and direct access to care provided by nurse practitioners. Other state legislatures are also reviewing Full Practice Authority (FPA) as the need for direct access continues to grow.
U.S. News & World Report ranked NPs number two on its 2017 list of "The 100 Best Jobs in America." "Roughly 23,000 new NPs graduated this past school year - a 15.5 percent increase from the year before - and that speaks volumes about the job satisfaction, stability, and yes, compensation levels of the NP role," said Joyce M. Knestrick, PhD, APRN, CRNP, FAANP, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. "There has never been a better time to be an NP."
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the largest national professional membership organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties, represents the interests of the more than 234,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. In recognition of NP Week, AANP is offering a $20 membership discount to those NPs not currently an NP Member. To join as an NP Member, simply use discount code NPWEEK on your membership application.
As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NP patients and other health care consumers. To locate a nurse practitioner, go to npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org.
