Nationwide, almost 80 million people lack access to primary care. 

As healthcare professionals serving patients of every age, nurse practitioners (NPs), are critical in ensuring that all members of our nation have access to quality health care. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2020), over 1 billion visits are made to NPs each year, with approximately 290,000 licensed nurse practitioners currently providing primary, acute, and specialty care to patients across the country.

WHAT NURSE PRACTITIONERS DO

Nurse practitioners provide a full range of care services to patients, including:

• Recording patient information such as medical history and symptoms
• Performing physical exams
• Ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic tests
• Diagnosing and treating diverse acute and chronic health problems
• Prescribing and administering medications and treatments
• Creating, contributing to, and managing patient care plans

Nurse practitioners are also skilled at integrating health promotion, disease prevention, counseling, and education into patient visits to help individuals (and their families) better understand their health. By doing so, they empower patients to make choices that lead to longer, healthier lives.

Nurse practitioners are in demand across the country, but especially in medically underserved areas, including rural towns and inner cities.

The role of a nurse practitioner involves providing health education and counseling, promoting good health, and preventing disease. In the healthcare industry, nurse practitioners are also essential for lowering health costs thanks to the services that they provide. Statistics show that patients who visit nurse practitioners tend to enjoy lower medical costs, shorter stays in hospital, and fewer emergencies with their health (AANP, 2020; New Nebraska, 2020).

The nurse practitioner role is one that is steadily growing throughout the country. Due to a nationwide shortage of primary care physicians, the need for good nurse practitioners to fill the gap has never been greater.

Just a quick update on what we do and why some of us do it.  Now take a moment to let us know what or who inspired you to become a NP.