Tag: nurse practitioners

NP Role Expansion Bill Passes Pennsylvania Senate

Nurse Practitioners saw another victory in their quest for full practice authority on Wednesday in the Pennsylvania Senate.

Nurse Practitioners saw another victory in their quest for full practice authority on Wednesday in the Pennsylvania Senate, when they voted by a margin of 44 to 6 to advance legislation to allow certified NPs to practice independently of physicians.

Senate Bill 25, sponsored by Senator Camera Bartolotta, aims to amend the Professional Nursing Law, and will allow certified NPs to practice independent of a physician after they fulfill a three-year, 3,600-hour collaboration agreement with a physician. The law as it currently stands requires NPs to practice under a collaboration agreement at all times.

Similar legislation was approved by Pennsylvania’s Senate in April of 2017; however, the bill did not receive a vote in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives. The bill will now be moved to the House for a vote.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Maine Law Allows PAs, NPs, Midwives to Perform Abortions

When the bill goes into effect next June, Maine will be the eighth state to permit advanced practitioners to provide abortion services.

With the signing of a bill by Governor Janet Mills this week, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives gained the ability to provide abortion medication and perform in-clinic abortions in the state of Maine. The bill, which was introduced into legislation by the Governor herself, aims to expand access to reproductive health care for women across Maine, particularly for those located in rural areas.

“Allowing qualified and licensed medical professionals to perform abortions will ensure that Maine women, especially those in rural areas, are able to access critical reproductive health care services when and where they need them from qualified providers they know and trust. These health care professionals are trained in family planning, counseling, and abortion procedures, the overwhelming majority of which are completed without complications,” Governor Mills said in a statement released on Monday. “Maine is defending the rights of women and taking a step toward equalizing access to care as other states are seeking to undermine, rollback, or outright eliminate these services.”

When the bill goes into effect next June, Maine will be the eighth state—joining New Hampshire, Vermont, Alaska, California, Colorado, New York and Oregon—to permit advanced practitioners to provide abortion services.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

VA Study Supports Advanced Practitioner Led Care

A new study has found no clinically important differences in patient outcomes, regardless of whether their provider is a physician, PA, or NP.

A study conducted by a Durham VA Health Care System has found that Veterans Affairs patients with diabetes have similar health outcomes, regardless of whether their care provider is a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.

Researchers examined the outcomes of more than 600,000 veterans with diabetes, a patient type that represents a large population within the VA, and who often have complex healthcare needs. Of the patients whose outcomes were studied, physicians were the usual provider for 77% of them, with the remaining patients under the care of a PA or NP. The researchers did not find any statistically significant differences in quality of care, nor any clinically important differences in patient outcomes, based on the discipline of the provider.

“Our study found that there were not clinically important differences in intermediate diabetes outcomes for patients with physicians, NPs, or PAs in both the usual and supplemental provider roles, providing additional evidence for the role of NPs and PAs as primary care providers,” said Dr. George Jackson, a research health scientist with the Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT) at the Durham VA Medical Center and author of the study.

A news release from the VA regarding the study goes on to state, “The fact that PAs and NPs had similar results for quality of care without sharing care with a physician suggests that using these providers in primary care may improve the efficiency of health care.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Chipotle Offers Buy-One-Get-One Free Deal for Nurses

Free food alert! Chipotle locations across the U.S. and Canada will be offering a buy-one-get-one free deal for all nurses (including RNs, NPs, CNAs, and more) tomorrow, June 4th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is offering a special buy-one-get-one free deal for nurses across the U.S. and Canada on Tuesday, June 4, 2019.

All professional nurses who hold an RN, NP, CRNA, CNS, CNM, LVN, or CNA designation, or local equivalents, who present valid identification, such as their nursing license or hospital or medical office ID, can receive a free burrito, burrito bowl, salad, or order of tacos with the purchase of an entrée of equal or greater value. The promotion is valid at all Chipotle locations in the U.S. and Canada from open to close that day.

“We know that nurses are some of the most hardworking individuals and Chipotle wants to do its part to recognize these dedicated professionals who are helping to cultivate a better world,” said Laurie Schalow, Chief Corporate Reputation Officer at Chipotle, in a press release issued by the company. “We’re inviting all nurses to come into Chipotle to show us their IDs to redeem our token of appreciation.”

To find a Chipotle location near you, please visit chipotle.com.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Critical Shortage of Pediatric NPs Looms

With the physician shortage in full swing and not enough PNPs joining the workforce, there is a growing hole in who will care for this nation’s children, with few answers in sight.

There is a serious need for pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs), according to a new white paper published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care’s most recent issue.

The authors, including Kristin Hittle Gigli, Ph.D., R.N., CPNP-AC, CCRN, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues, report that “despite the specific demand for pediatric care, there is a forecasted critical shortage of PNPs over the next decade.”

This is partly because the amount of PNPs in practice has not grown as rapidly as other disciplines across the NP profession, while physician shortages continue to be problematic. While advanced practitioners are widely believed to be able to close the gap in access to care resulting from the physician shortage, it is estimated that only 8% of the 270,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. are PNPs, while two out of three new NPs entering the workforce reported graduating from family NP (FNP) programs. Although FNPs can care for children, most report their total children account for less than 25% of their total patient population. This leaves a growing hole in who will care for the children of this nation, with few answers in sight.

“Dedicated research into the PNP role, workforce, and care outcomes will address gaps in our knowledge of the role and support the advancement of the profession,” the white paper states. As well as, “when considering possible shortages of PNPs, evaluation of the workforce pipeline and graduate nursing education programs becomes an important factor in mitigating potential shortages,” and goes on to say, “Attention should be focused on updating and expanding knowledge of the state of the PNP workforce to identify areas in practice and policy where interventions will support maximizing the contributions of these providers to high-quality, accessible, and affordable pediatric health care.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Barton Associates’ Locum Hero: Whitney Holmes, CNP

Earlier this year, Barton Associates announced the Locum Heroes campaign, with a focus on giving back to locum tenens providers who make a difference in their communities, near and far. In response, we received more than 100 nominations, each describing incredible stories of the ways that locum providers have spent their time on and between assignments. 

Whitney Holmes has been doing full-time locum work in underserved, low income, and refugee clinics since 2015, and dedicates her free time to medical mission efforts locally and internationally. As a Barton Associates Locum Hero, Ms. Holmes will receive a personal award of $2,500 and a donation of $2,500 will be given in her name to Ohio-based, Living Word Church’s food truck ministry.

Read Her Story

Report: PAs/NPs Provide Similar or Better Care than Doctors

A new report from a World Health Organization team indicates that non-physicians, such as PAs and NPs, provide comparable care to that of physicians.

Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, midwives, and other non-physicians deliver care that is comparable to or better than that provided by MDs, and are often more well-liked than physicians, according to a new report from a World Health Organization team.

It was noted in the WHO bulletin that they are especially effective in delivering babies, caring for AIDS patients, and helping people care for chronic diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure.

“While some physician groups have resisted wider use of such professionals, they should embrace them because they are often less expensive to deploy and are far more willing to work in rural areas,” the WHO experts are quoted as saying.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Public Is Clearly Confused about PAs and NPs

As the primary care physician shortage looms, and PAs and NPs are constantly called “the answer,” it seems patients are unaware of what they can even do.

Advanced practitioners, particularly PAs and NPs, are often cited as the answer to the looming primary care physician shortage—an estimated deficiency of 49,300 primary care physicians in the U.S. by 2030, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. However, it appears there is a large amount of public confusion when it comes to the roles of PAs and NPs in primary care, according to a new study, which is to be published next month in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

For the study, members of the U.S. public in all 50 states were surveyed between November 2017 and January 2018. Participants were asked questions regarding their knowledge of the abilities of physicians, PAs, and NPs to prescribe medications, diagnose illnesses, and order lab tests.

Of the 3,948 respondents, an undisputable majority knew physicians were able to prescribe medications, diagnose illnesses, and order lab tests. However, they were much less well-informed when it came to PAs and NPs. About half were unaware that PAs could prescribe and diagnose, and nearly a third did not know NPs could, and while a higher percentage were aware that PAs and NPs could order lab tests (66% for PAs, 74% for NPs), it was nowhere near the 97% who were aware of physicians’ ability to do the same.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Drama Series with NP Protagonist Heads to Netflix

A new romance drama series with a nurse practitioner at its heart is headed to the small screen, bringing exposure to the NP profession through entertainment.

Netflix has given the green light to a new romance drama series with a nurse practitioner at its heart.

“Virgin River,” a small screen adaptation of a book by the same name, tells the story of Melinda Monroe, an NP who answers an ad to work in the remote California town of Virgin River in an effort to start fresh and leave her past behind. “Virgin River” is the first book in a series of more than twenty Harlequin novels written by Robyn Carr, which have sold, combined, upwards of 13 million copies.

Representation matters, and though it may seem like a small win to some, this series is definitely a victory in terms of exposure for the NP profession.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

NP Salaries on the Rise

A new survey by the AANP has found that the total mean income for NPs was more than $112k in 2017.

As both the demand for and number of Nurse Practitioners only continue to grow, it appears that NP salaries are rising proportionately, according the AANP’s 2017 National Nurse Practitioner Sample Survey results.

The results of the survey, released earlier this month, found that in 2017, full-time NPs, regardless of their certification, are now receiving an average hourly wage of just under $59.87, and the base salary for full-time NPs was, on average, $105,546, with the total mean income for full-time NPs clocking in at $112,923.

Broken down by specialty, it was found that Adult Mental Health NPs, which only account for 1.7% of all NPs, received the highest base salary, while Emergency NPs had the highest hourly wage and total income. It was also reported that, between 2015 and 2017, the base salaries for Geriatric NPs and Family NPs also increased, up 30% and 18%, respectively.

The full 2017 National Nurse Practitioner Sample Survey Report is a free resource for AANP members and can be accessed by clicking here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.