Now, he's been recognized for
his national leadership in the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Where he is advocated for an expanded role for nurse practitioners.
And help to set the accreditation standards for
the relatively new Doctor of Nursing practice degree.
For his continued presence and rural health care outreach,
his vision of primary care redesign and as mentorship to nurse practitioner students.
Mike was recognized as North Carolina's Nurse Practitioner of the year in 2010.
So Mike, could you tell us a little bit about what it is to
be an advanced nurse practitioner?
>> Thank you Marilyn, I'm delighted to be invited to talk with you this afternoon.
Yes, I think it's important for everyone to get on the same page,
to speak of in terms of what exactly is an advanced practice nurse, or APN.
As it's known in some countries or an APRN,
or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in others.
>> Mm-hm.
>> And basically is an advanced practice nurse are those nurses who buy
merit of their advance graduate education, either at the Masters or the Doctor level.
And their advance clinical training then able them to perform
diagnostic assessments.
And other levels of medical decision making that previously
well it had been only to certain types of healthcare providers, mainly physicians.
So, the thing about advanced practice nursing as
it's envisioned within the United States,
is that there are actually four distinct areas of advanced practice in nursing.
One of those is the nurse practitioner, of which I am one.
The other is the certified nursing midwife,
which most people are familiar with.
There is nurse anesthesia, these are the nurses where by way of their advanced
education and call of the training actually put you to sleep and
bring you back, after the procedure is over.
And then, there's the clinical nurse specialist who traditionally has
been in hospital based units dealing with patient care and
other staff related needs for that to keep care facility.
So, as a nurse practitioner,
one of the question is what is your training consist of?
Well, it's interesting.
We did not just evolve yesterday.
Advance practice nursing, in terms of the nurse practitioner,
as a matter of fact, has been around for almost 50 years.
And it came out of that interesting context in the 1960s,
where everything seemed to be changing.
You had changes in the culture.
You had changes in the societal level.
You had in the United States under President Johnson's War on Poverty.
You had a big do something for others sort of notion.
>> Hm-hm. >> It kind of translated down into certain
professions.
Well, during that time period, we knew there were many areas within
the United States that did not have, there were not adequate facilities or
providers to take care of Individuals living in those areas.
Primarily the rural areas but then United States and also our inner city areas.
Where other health care providers chose not to go for whatever reason.
Well as a result of this and all the changes that were taking place.
We had this idea that was brought forward by a couple
in Colorado actually, at the University of Colorado, Dr.
Henry Ford and Dr. Loretta, excuse me, Dr. Loretta Ford and Dr. Henry Silver.
Dr. Ford is actually, was a community nurse in the area of pediatrics as well.
Dr. Silver is a pediatrician, and
they got together and they had this idea of taking a nurse.
And educating,
actually I'm going to say her because most nurses at that time were her.
To where she would be able to distinguish normal from abnormal.
>> Mm-hm.
>> And with that knowledge in mind,
building upon her already ingrained nursing skills.
That particular provider would then be with a pediatrician,
by which she would be able to take children, mostly at the well child status.
And do the routine health maintenance,
freeing the pediatrician up to do more of the complex medical sorts of cases.
And that relationship, that collaboration actually kicked off really well and from
that simple area of pediatrics, mostly in the wellness care spectrum along that.
We grew to what we are now as almost,
as heading toward doctoraly prepared health professionals in our own right.
And the evolution that's taken place and it's actually quite remarkable to think
that it's taken place only within the last 50 years.
And there were a lot of course barriers that had to
be surmounted on whether nurses should be doing these sorts of things.
>> Mm-hm. >> Who is actually responsible for
the patient?
What is the role now between a nurse and physician?
In a way that beforehand was pretty much regimented.
So, there was a lot of things that were challenged at the time.
But we've seen this new type of health care profession now join the ranks.
And surprisingly what we're able to do within that realm, so.