Whereas previously NPs were only accepted as part of a new discount family insurance plan, (New Discount Plan to Include NPs), now the company plans to include and reimburse NPs directly. This is a great move toward full recognition of NPs' abilities in Florida, one of two remaining states that ...

• May you come to the attention of those in authority
• May you find what you are looking for
• May you live in interesting times

Certainly ...

The media has been bombarding us with news about Michael Jackson's death, which hasn't been noteworthy for our blog until today, when California nurse practitioner Cherilyn Lee spoke up in defense of Michael Jackson, who Lee says sought sedatives from her as a sleep aid but not to abuse. Lee had been providing nutrition advice to MJ.

The Associated Press reported ...

Earlier this month the American Medical Association held its House of Delegates meeting, during which it discusses what issues are important to their profession and sets the stage for political action to be pursued by the organization. The American Academy of Family Physicians published an article about testimony made against the DNP certification exam developed by the American Board of Comprehensive Care/Council ...

It's not easy being green. I'm not talking about the color, either. I'm talking about being the rookie, the novice, the newbie, the beginner. You see, I can be an impatient person. And all this low rung on the ladder stuff -- well, it doesn't always sit well with my innate perfectionist. I want to know EVERTHING. And I want to know it NOW.

That's my id. My superego is laughing at this. There is no way that ...

This is the third post in a series by first-time AANP conference attendees. Cheryll N. Simmons is a family nurse practitioner student at the University of Miami. At the completion of her program in August of 2009, she will continue her studies at UM, pursuing her doctorate of nursing practice degree. Here are Cheryll's impressions of the conference:

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This is the second in a series of blog posts on the ADVANCE Voice NP blog by guest bloggers who were first-time attendees to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) annual conference, held this year in Nashville. This post comes from Deborah Varnum, NP, who was designated this year as the North Carolina AANP representative.

Kick Up Your Heels in Nashville With AANP

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It's time once again to fill out the ADVANCE National Salary and Workplace Survey of Nurse Practitioners. Although it's called the ADVANCE survey, all the magazine does is provide the questions and crunch the numbers. ADVANCE readers are the real force behind this biennial ...

Service expansion in retail health has created great concern for some members of the medical community. New service rollouts in retail health are not synonymous with new skill acquisition for nurse practitioners. Retail clinicians are highly trained nationally certified family nurse practitioners whose commendable evidence-based practice has been well established in the literature.

The convenient care ...

This is the first of a series of guest blog posts from first-time American Academy of Nurse Practitioners conference-goers. This post is written by new family NP LaTasha M. Jarnagin, who works at Hamblen Family Medicine in Tennessee:

My first American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Conference - Very Exciting!  

First, I must mention that this was the ...

The first day of sessions at the largest NP conference in history has come to a close. There are officially over 4,500 NPs attending the 24th National Conference of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and even in the largest Gaylord resort in the country, with 1,800 rooms, there was spill-over to other hotels. The place is really abuzz with NPs. Everyone filled the general session room early this morning for ...

At first glance it sounds like a great way to get your resume in front of the greatest number of eyes with minimal effort, but do you know to whom those "eyes" belong?  Some boards allow anyone to search their resume databases, and others require the searcher to create an account and may or may not charge them a fee.  Either ...

However, even though I no longer have (a) boss, I still work for now thousands of bosses (my clients). Sure, I can leave early when I want, come in late, or take an extended lunch break, ...

Will the scope of services expand in retail health?

Yes, for many reasons.

First, we all know that as nurse practitioners, our knowledge and skills are not being utilized to even a fraction of our capabilities in this setting.  It has been established that nurse practitioners have the ability to provide high levels of care in many settings. Numerous studies have confirmed this. Satisfaction surveys ...

I am being pulled in a hundred different directions, only taking time ...

Around town, recently, I have been hearing about a few NPs thinking of branching out and starting their own healthcare businesses.

A PNP is thinking of opening a behavioral health clinic to work with children who have sensory processing disorders, including those that fall within the autism spectrum. One of my colleagues is putting together a model for a satellite clinic, using the NP model of healthcare ...

What I dislike about my job:

(OK, folks, this topic was a suggestion from someone. So, if you happen to be my boss reading this, please understand I truly mean every word I say. Including the fact that I know I work for a great company that does its best to respond to what we need. And considering some of the things that could happen - layoffs, cookbooks, etc. - I think I made a good choice working ...

I am a fairly private person and need some sort of relationship with someone before I can share deep, personal thoughts and feelings. In this week alone, I have had 7 patients weeping, telling me about problems with finances, husbands, wives, work, ...

Interviewing for a new position may seem like a challenging task.  Following a few simple guidelines can make all the difference in how you present yourself.

Submitting a professional looking resume is the first step.  Be sure your address, phone, and e-mail are updated and your resume includes your current position.  Double check your resume for accuracy including dates of employment, ...

Well, here's an example of more complex influences of the economy on ...

On May 12, Representative Allyson Schwartz from Pa. introduced, with 106 cosponsors, the Preserving Patient Access to Primary Care Act of 2009. The bill aims to increase primary care access for patients and includes nurse practitioners as leaders of patient-centered medical homes.

Stephen Ferrara, NP, who writes the blog A Nurse Practitioner's View, wrote an excellent post about this. Click

As healthcare continues to present challenges for the United States, I am excited to work for a retail organization that is so attentive to the needs of both patients and providers.

In late June, 2009 we will be expanding our services to include a wider variety of skin treatments and conditions. We will be able to provide procedures like Dermabond for minor lacerations, skin tag removals and wart treatments! ...

Drug Store News conducted a survey of pharmacists and retail healthcare providers and found that almost 86% of retail clinic providers found patients asking more about swine flu since the media started covering it.

Visit www.advanceweb.com/NP on Monday to download ...

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that retail health clinics gravitate toward more affluent neighborhoods. They could, therefore, not be serving the under- and uninsured or poorer populations ...