Nurse Practitioner Day – How NPs are making an impact in aged care
Tenacity, an inquiring mind and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of patients are some of the key attributes personified by nurse practitioners, says aged care NP Kaye Coates. “It’s being able to see the bigger picture, the whole person, not just going in to put a Band-Aid on a particular issue […]
Meet Nurse Practitioner of the Year Chris Helms
In his first few years of university in his native United States, Chris Helms ironically wanted to take on any subjects bar nursing. His broad areas of study included marine biology, chemistry and Spanish and at one point involved aspiring to undertake medicine in the hope of becoming a doctor. It eventually led to him […]
How nurse practitioners are filling the gaps in aged care
An elderly woman living in residential aged care who had just returned from hospital after having her fractured hip repaired lay screaming in agony. Carers did their best to assist but without an RN on site, appropriate pain relief was unable to be provided. “There was no registered nurse to provide any pain relief. She […]
NPs urged to lead push to improve aged care
Nurse practitioners should actively engage with the current Aged Care Royal Commission, champion nursing and use their expertise to lead change across the embattled sector. Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP) Vice President Amanda Davies delivered the call to action during a keynote address to delegates at this year’s ACNP National Conference in Melbourne that […]
NPs primed to take role and healthcare to new level as MBS Review outcome looms
The looming outcome of the contentious Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review has the potential to improve access to nurse practitioner services and healthcare for patients if recommendations to increase the scope of the advanced clinical role are adopted, Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP) President Leanne Boase has argued. Addressing ACNP’s 2019 national conference, Transforming […]
Australia must invest more in nurse practitioners
Australia should be investing more in increasing the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) within its health workforce to reap the improved outcomes that the advanced role can bring, a leading academic has argued. James Buchan, Adjunct Professor of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre at the University of Technology Sydney, made the call while […]
Q&A with Nurse Practitioner Chris Helms
On 12 December each year the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP) holds Nurse Practitioner Day to mark the endorsement of the first NPs in Australia – Sue Denison and Jane O’Connell – back in 2000. Almost two decades on, more than 1,700 Nurse Practitioners are endorsed with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. […]