November 11-17, 2018 will be celebrated as Nurse Practitioners Week across the country. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed a proclamation declaring National NP Week in the state of Alabama.
There are 248,000 nurse practitioners in the United States. This distinguished group of health care professionals is being bolstered by an additional 23,000 NP students graduating each year. Currently, in Alabama there are over 4,000 certified NPs.
Events held during Nurse Practitioners Week around the country will acquaint local citizens with the role of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective personalized health care and will highlight the value of choosing an NP for primary acute and specialty care. NP practice offers a unique combination of nursing and health care service to patients.
NPs focus not only on diagnosing and managing acute and chronic illnesses, NPs integrate health promotion, disease prevention counseling and patient education to help patients understand their complete health picture.
The American population is aging, with baby boomers becoming seniors in growing numbers over the next 10 years, so having choices about health care providers will become even more important.
National NP Week brings visibility to the role of the NP, helping consumers make wise choices when selecting their health care provider.
The Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama (NPAA) is participating in the national public awareness campaign “We Choose NPs” to strengthen public awareness of nurse practitioners.
A study conducted by the Association of American Medical colleges predicts that by the year 2025, the United States will face a shortage of between 46,000 and 90,000 doctors. Nurse practitioners allow doctors to be used more wisely and to specialize in areas that require more expertise.
The NPAA is a statewide professional organization advocating for issues of significant importance for the general welfare of Alabama’s NPs. The mission of NPAA is to promote high quality healthcare for Alabama’s citizens.
For more information about nurse practitioners go to their website:
http://www.npalliancealabama.org
