NPSchools.com Nursing Features

The nurse practitioner profession is growing at a rapid pace. And with growth comes change. Today’s nurse practitioners are dealing with staff shortages in rural areas, changes in educational standards, and battles for wider practice authority in select states. What will tomorrow’s nurse practitioners be concerned with? Our interview-based features and in-depth resource guides uncover the stories behind the big issues by talking to nurse practitioners who know the subject best.

Ask a Professor: The Practice Environment in Wisconsin

December 21, 2021 – Matt Zbrog

Wisconsinites need greater access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. The state’s nurse practitioners (NPs) and other advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) could be a powerful resource in providing it.

Ask a Professor: The NP Practice Environment in Alabama

November 11, 2021 – Matt Zbrog

As aging Baby Boomers begin to have more and more healthcare needs, Alabama is confronted with the complex challenge of providing high-quality, cost-effective care to all its citizens. The state’s 6,000-plus nurse practitioners (NPs) and other advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) could be an elegant part of the solution.

National Midwifery Week – The Role of Nurse-Midwives in Hospitals vs. Birth Centers

September 27, 2021 – Cevia Yellin

Based upon the belief that every person has the right to quality healthcare, midwifery’s personalized approach plays an important role in enhancing health equity and empowering individuals and communities.

Day in the Life of a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) or Certified Midwife (CM)

September 6, 2021 – Matt Zbrog

Women in the US are significantly more likely to die from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth than in other rich, developed nations. According to data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), maternal mortality rates in America are twice as high as they are in Canada and France, and ten times higher than they are in New Zealand and Norway. The majority of these deaths occur after childbirth and are largely preventable.

Ask a Professor: The NP Practice Environment in Missouri

August 2, 2021 – Matt Zbrog

Missouri’s NPs are extensively trained to step in and meet a significant portion of the state’s healthcare needs. The bad news is that antiquated and obtuse regulations at the state level prevent Missouri’s NPs from practicing to the full extent of their education and training.

Civic Health Month: An Expert’s Advocacy Guide

July 26, 2021 – Celeste Williams, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

August is Civic Health Month—a time to ensure that both coworkers, colleagues, and patients have an opportunity to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

Ask a Professor: The Practice Environment in Tennessee

July 19, 2021 – Matt Zbrog

The Volunteer State needs better access to quality, affordable healthcare services. Tennessee’s nurse practitioners (NPs) are equipped to provide many of those services, and eager to do so. But antiquated legislation is still preventing them from practicing to the full extent of their training, and the state’s NPs are pushing back with new research.

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences—And How NPs Can Help

June 2, 2021 – Celeste Williams, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

Adverse childhood experiences have an enormous impact on future substance abuse, violence, victimization and perpetration, sexually transmitted infections, delayed brain development, lower educational attainment, reduced employment opportunities, and a lifetime of increased negative health outcomes and increased risk of disease.

Ask a Professor: The Practice Environment in Massachusetts

May 13, 2021 – Matt Zbrog

The nation is facing down a primary care crunch. As the Baby Boomer generation retires, medical schools can’t graduate primary care physicians at a rate sufficient to meet the growing medical needs of an aging population. A 2020 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) found that the US could see a shortage of up to 139,000 primary care physicians by 2033. Some states are better equipped to handle this than others—Massachusetts is now one of them.

Day in the Life of an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (NP)

May 3, 2021 – Matt Zbrog

Approximately six million patients are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) every year. Their conditions are often complex, and the corresponding treatment environment can be intense. This is just one part of the broader world of acute care, which is based on the short-term treatment of, and/or recovery from, severe and urgent conditions.