EDITORIAL

One year seems like 25 years and 25 years seems like one

Time often seems to be moving at the speed of light.As I have recently completed my one year anniversaryas the CEO with the American Academy of Nurse Practi-tioners (AANP), I recall the fun and pleasure that I havehad meeting and working with all the dedicated and pas-sionate people working for the good of AANP and thenurse practitioner (NP) profession. The year has flown by(literally with my frequent airline travels) and as we cel-ebrate the 25th anniversary of AANP, we look forward tothe next 25 years that I am sure will seem to go by just asfast.

As we honor the founders of the NP profession andAANP, the past and current leaders of today, it is ourresolve to continue to make the policy and membershipservice inroads that will leave the profession and the or-ganization at the pinnacle of revolutionized healthcare.NPs are positioned better than ever to be at the forefrontof solving many of today’s healthcare challenges: access,quality of care, and cost effectiveness. In a recent Journalof the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners publication(Bauer, 2010), Jeff Bauer, PhD, an internationally rec-ognized medical economist and health futurist, said, “Inconclusion, all the evidence supports using nurse practi-tioners as one of the most cost-effective and feasible re-forms to solve America’s serious problems of cost, quality,and access in health care” (p. 231). His review of pub-lished literature on outcomes brought him to this state-ment, “Of more than 100 published, post-OTA (U.S. Of-fice of Technology Assessment) reports on the quality ofcare provided by both nurse practitioners and physicians,not a single study has found that nurse practitioners pro-vide inferior services within the overlapping scopes of li-censed practice” (p. 230).

As we continue to find ways to get “the message” out,NPs and AANP are beginning to be more in the mediaspotlight with TV, radio interviews and shows. One ini-tiative that AANP began over the last few months withthe help of a PR firm is to determine the public percep-tion of NPs. A positive result was those who had seen anNP choose an NP over a physician when it comes to ac-cess and responsiveness. Consumers feel NPs are easierto see than physicians and they are more likely to lis-ten to patients and address their concerns. In contrast,consumers, however, have several misconceptions about

the job functions and services offered by nurse practition-ers. Notable, 49% of consumers did not know or did notthink that NPs could prescribe medications for their pa-tients. Also, 47% of consumers either did not know ordid not think that NPs could order, interpret, and evalu-ate diagnostic tests such as lab tests and x-rays (KRC Re-search, 12/30/09). As AANP begins a media campaign toaddress these misperceptions and to bring the NP messageto the public, legislators, and healthcare professionals,everyone’s participation in this effort is greatly needed.Your participation is vital to shorten the time line to bringdown the barriers to NP practice that will bring accessto quality, cost-effective healthcare to the current popu-lation and the 30 million more coming that will have agreat need due to healthcare reform.

In the last several weeks, we have engaged in ourstrategic planning process and part of that plan will beto engage our membership, Fellows, volunteers, board ofdirectors, and staff to implement the plans for the visionof the future of NPs and AANP. Plans are being developedto see where we want to be in the year 2020 and whatgoals we will want to accomplish over the next few years.The future of the NP profession is at a critical juncture be-cause there are many external pressures that will defineus in the coming days and years. Instead of being reactive,we must be proactive in our approach to these externalpressures and take the high road in our discussions anddeliberations. The “Future is Now!” I very much look for-ward to working with you to meet the challenges of todaythat will bring our dreams into reality.

“Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Promote theFuture”—Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Knoxville,TN

Tim “TK” KnettlerCEO

AANP

Reference

Bauer, J. (2010). Nurse practitioners as an underutilized resource for health

reform: Evidence-based demonstrations of cost-effectiveness. Journal of the

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, pp. 228–231. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-

7599.2010.00498.x

331Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 22 (2010) 331 C© 2010 The AuthorJournal compilation C© 2010 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners