National Nurse Practitioner Week 2015 Fast Facts

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have a special reason to celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week, November 8 – 14, 2015. Fifty years ago, at the University of Colorado, the first NP program was established. And 50 years later, there are more than 205,000 NPs licensed to practice in the United States.

“All across the country, nurse practitioners are serving as a lifeline for patients, many who would otherwise struggle to access care,” said David Hebert, Chief Executive Officer of AANP. “It is our hope that these patients, as well as their families, employers and legislators, will join us in recognizing and honoring the national nurse practitioner community throughout this milestone 50th anniversary year.”

NPs are licensed, expert clinicians with advanced education (most have master’s and many have doctorate degrees) and extensive clinical preparation who provide primary, acute and specialty health care services. In addition to providing a full range of services, NPs work as partners with their patients,guiding them to make educated health care decisions and healthy lifestyle choices. The confidence that patients have in NP- delivered health care is evidenced by the more than 916 million visits made to NPs every year.

National Nurse Practitioner Week, November 8-14, 2015, is a time to celebrate these exceptional health care providers and to remind lawmakers of the importance of removing outdated barriers to practice so that NPs will be allowed to practice to the full extent of their experience and education so that patients are allowed full and direct access to all the services NPs are educated and certified to provide. Nurse practitioners are informed, in touch and involved, making them the health care providers of choice for millions and a solution to the primary care crisis in America. 

What is a Nurse Practitioner?

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFKQm1IB-DY[/embedyt]

Fast Facts 

• Nurse practitioners, also known as NPs, are expert clinicians with advanced training who provide primary, acute and specialty health care.
• NPs offer high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered health care.
• 21 states and the District of Columbia have granted full practice authority to NPs, giving patients more direct access to the primary, acute and specialty care services that NPs provide.
• NPs provide a full range of services, such as ordering, performing and interpreting diagnostic tests; diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions; prescribing medications and treatments; and managing overall patient care.
• There are more than 205,000 NPs practicing in America today, providing solutions to the health care provider crisis.
• NPs have master’s degrees, and many have doctorate degrees, as well as advanced education and clinical training.
• Patients whose primary care providers are NPs have fewer emergency room visits and shorter hospital stays, resulting in lower out-of-pocket costs.
• Two out of three patients support legislation for greater access to NP services.
• NPs emphasize the health and well-being of the whole person in their approach, including helping patients make educated health care decisions and healthy lifestyle choices.
• The confidence patients have in NPs is demonstrated by the more than 916 million visits made to NPs each year.
• An estimated 17,000 new NPs completed their academic programs in 2013-2014 
• NPs hold prescriptive privilege in all 50 states and D.C., with controlled substances in 49
• In 2015, the mean, full-time NP base salary was $97,083, with average full-time NP total income at $108,643 
• The majority (69.5%) of NPs see three or more patients per hour 
• Malpractice rates remain low; only 2% have been named as primary defendant in a malpractice case 
• Nurse practitioners have been in practice an average of 10 years 
• The average age of NPs is 49 years  
• 95.1% of NPs have graduate degrees 
• 96.8% of NPs maintain national certification 
• 86.5% of NPs are prepared in primary care 
• 84.9% of NPs see patients covered by Medicare and 83.9% by Medicaid 
• 44.8% of NPs hold hospital privileges; 15.2% have long term care privileges 
• 97.2% of NPs prescribe medications, averaging 19 prescriptions per day 

American Association of Nurse Practitioners

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties. It represents the interests of more than 205,000 NPs, including more than 64,000 individual members and 200 organizations, providing a unified networking platform and advocating for their role as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient- centered and personalized health care.

The organization 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.

This post was made possible by the American Association of Nurse Practitioner’s Nurse Practitioner Week Resource Guide.