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ADVANCE Voice: NP

Facebook Campaign for an NP

Published August 13, 2010 11:48 AM by Jennifer Ford
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If you think Facebook has no real power, think again. How about the Facebook campaign that succeeded in landing actress Betty White as a host for the comedy TV show Saturday Night Live, with neither White nor show producers having sparked the idea? In January, David Matthews, of San Antonio, launched a Facebook page petition after White appeared in a popular commercial for Snickers candy. The page went viral, and several hundred thousand Facebook users signed on by mid-March. SNL producers listened, and the former Golden Girl hosted a special Mother's Day episode on May 8. And the show was a hit with fans.

This is why the Facebook campaign to add a nurse practitioner to the emergency department staff of a Peterborough, Ontario, hospital is so intriguing. A group of nursing students started a page called "Implement A Nurse Practitioner Into The Emergency Department at PRHC," and activity on the page caught the hospital's attention, not to mention the media. An article by the local newspaper doesn't mention how many fans the page had, and it has since been removed, but the hospital is considering hiring an NP with new funds it received as part of a program to reduce wait times.

Could Facebook petition pages be useful to NPs trying to increase their public visibility? If Betty White's story and the Ontario nurses' story are any sort of a barometer, I say it's certainly something for NPs to keep in mid when planning marketing activities.

posted by Jennifer Ford
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4 comments
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Why do people have to always bring up this PA's are better trained than NP's. That is just not true. NP's are first BSN prepared nurses then they go onto the MSN to obtain the NP status and then they have to take a certification test. The number of clinical hours are incredible! The ANCC will not even let you take the certification tests unless you provide the proper education requirements. It is a very tough area of nursing to get into and competitive. The NP is able to work independently in some areas and they work in a collaborative agreement with a physician but the PA has to be under the supervision of a MD. I am not trying to say that the care you recieve from a NP or PA is better than the other. Let's just be professionals and respect each other's education, training and experience. Additionally, by 2015 it will a requirement to have a doctorate to carry the title of a NP.
Donita, Geriatrics - ANP-BC January 9, 2011 9:33 PM
Kansas City KS

I think not!! All NP's are first and foremost RNs with many times years of experience prior to going NP school. All have masters degrees and many have doctorates. Research has shown over and over that NPs perform and sometimes even outperform MDs so how can one say the PAs are better? Also, NPs come in many forms such as Acute Care NPs, Primary care- adult, family, peds, and womens health specialties. Shall I go on? So, if a patient comes across an NP- one can guarantee that they are highly trained and not just in the general sense!!
Diana C, RN October 10, 2010 1:13 AM
Walnut Creek CA

I think not!! All NP's are first and foremost RNs with many times years of experience prior to going NP school. All have masters degrees and many have doctorates. Research has shown over and over that NPs perform and sometimes even outperform MDs so how can one say the PAs are better? Also, NPs come in many forms such as Acute Care NPs, Primary care- adult, family, peds, and womens health specialties. Shall I go on? So, if a patient comes across an NP- one can guarantee that they are highly trained and not just in the general sense!!
Diana Clemens, RN October 10, 2010 1:11 AM
Walnut Creek CA

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS ARE BETTER TRAINED ACADEMICALLY AND CLINICALLY TO PERFORM WELL IN THE ED/ER BOTH IN CANADA AND THE US.
WALTER, FP/IM/HOSP - MPAS, PA-C, SMH September 11, 2010 10:26 AM

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