ºÝºÝߣ

ºÝºÝߣShare a Scribd company logo
!
!
!
Nurse&Practitioners&–&Valuable&Health&Care&Providers&
Nurse&Practitioner&Week,&November&9&<&15&
By!Michael!Hazel,!DNP,!APRN,!FNP4BC,!President,!Texas!Nurse!Practitioners!
!
This!week!is!National!Nurse!Practitioner!(NP)!Week!and!time!to!celebrate!a!valuable,!yet!underutilized!
healthcare!provider.!!!
!
In!Texas,!there!are!roughly!13,000!highly!educated,!seasoned!NP!professionals.!We!are!first!and!
foremost!registered!nurses!with!between!600!and!750!clinical!hours!at!the!undergraduate!level.!Before!
becoming!an!NP,!we!average!at!least!10!years!of!on4the4job!registered!nursing!experience!in!diverse!
settings.!!We!have!either!a!master’s!or!doctoral!degree!–!sometimes!both!4!which!require!an!additional!
500!to!1,000!hours!of!clinical!training.!
!
NPs!are!required!to!meet!state!licensure!and!national!certification!requirements.!!We!aren’t!doctors!and!
we!don’t!want!to!be!but!our!record!of!providing!patient4centered,!holistic!care!is!exceptional!and!has!
been!recognized!repeatedly!throughout!the!past!45!years!in!peer4reviewed!research.!
!
Despite!improvements!made!in!2013!to!statutes!regulating!NPs,!Texas!unnecessarily!remains!one!of!the!
most!restrictive!states!for!NP!practice.!!Texas!still!requires!an!NP!to!find!a!physician!willing!to!delegate!
authority!to!diagnose!and!prescribe!and!mandates!that!the!two!providers!meet!face4to4face!on!a!
monthly!basis.!!These!barriers!are!costly!and!in!place!only!to!discourage!NPs!from!opening!private!clinics!
and!competing!with!doctors.!!In!fact,!these!barriers!only!drive!up!patient!costs!and!limits!access!to!care,!
often!forcing!patients!to!turn!to!the!ER!for!basic!primary!care!services.!
!
Many!states!like!New!Mexico,!Colorado!and,!Arizona!don’t!have!these!overly!restrictive!regulations.!!In!
fact,!Governor!Susanna!Martinez!and!the!New!Mexico!state!legislature!actually!put!together!a!plan!and!
appropriated!taxpayer!funds!to!recruit!NPs!specifically!from!Texas.!!And!you!know!what?!!It’s!working.!!
NPs!from!El!Paso!and!in!the!South!Plains!are!headed!to!these!friendlier!states!to!help!to!close!their!
primary!care!shortfall!and!to!be!treated!like!the!professionals!they!are.!What!a!loss!for!Texas.!
!
I!am!proud!to!call!Texas!my!home.!My!goal!is!not!to!be!a!doctor!but!to!practice!to!the!fullest!extent!that!
my!education!and!certification!will!allow!in!order!to!positively!impact!the!lives!of!my!patients.!
!
To!celebrate!NP!Week,!I!am!calling!my!state!legislators!and!asking!that!Texas!finally!move!to!fully!
modernize!NP!regulations.!!I!am!armed!with!research!from!The!Institute!of!Medicine,!AARP,!the!National!
Governor’s!Association,!and!the!Federal!Trade!Commission!that!fully!support!my!request.!!It’s!time!we!
brought!simple!economic!principles!into!the!medical!marketplace!and!let!patients!have!more!choices!
and!more!freedoms!in!how!they!want!to!be!treated.!!
!

More Related Content

Viewers also liked (9)

Useful Facts about Barcoding
Useful Facts about BarcodingUseful Facts about Barcoding
Useful Facts about Barcoding
Mark Newton
Ìý
Kidde halon manual
Kidde halon manualKidde halon manual
Kidde halon manual
Canute LLP
Ìý
Raddad Alhendi CV2017
Raddad Alhendi CV2017Raddad Alhendi CV2017
Raddad Alhendi CV2017
Raddad Alhendi
Ìý
RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015
RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015
RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015
Rodrigo Rodriguez
Ìý
Generating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ Share
Generating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ ShareGenerating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ Share
Generating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ Share
michaelbwatson
Ìý
Choperia do RosaChoperia do Rosa
Choperia do Rosa
tibeto
Ìý
PAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDF
PAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDFPAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDF
PAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDF
Alfio Greco
Ìý
David Scott CV 2016
David Scott CV 2016David Scott CV 2016
David Scott CV 2016
David Scott
Ìý
Intangibles Lessons Summaries
Intangibles Lessons SummariesIntangibles Lessons Summaries
Intangibles Lessons Summaries
Nicole Plummer
Ìý
Useful Facts about Barcoding
Useful Facts about BarcodingUseful Facts about Barcoding
Useful Facts about Barcoding
Mark Newton
Ìý
Kidde halon manual
Kidde halon manualKidde halon manual
Kidde halon manual
Canute LLP
Ìý
Raddad Alhendi CV2017
Raddad Alhendi CV2017Raddad Alhendi CV2017
Raddad Alhendi CV2017
Raddad Alhendi
Ìý
RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015
RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015
RODRIGO+RODRIGUEZ copy 12-18-2015
Rodrigo Rodriguez
Ìý
Generating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ Share
Generating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ ShareGenerating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ Share
Generating Leads Through Social Networking For ºÝºÝߣ Share
michaelbwatson
Ìý
Choperia do RosaChoperia do Rosa
Choperia do Rosa
tibeto
Ìý
PAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDF
PAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDFPAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDF
PAES Alcara Li Fusi approvato dal consiglio comunale.PDF
Alfio Greco
Ìý
David Scott CV 2016
David Scott CV 2016David Scott CV 2016
David Scott CV 2016
David Scott
Ìý
Intangibles Lessons Summaries
Intangibles Lessons SummariesIntangibles Lessons Summaries
Intangibles Lessons Summaries
Nicole Plummer
Ìý

Similar to NP Week Op-Ed (14)

Integrated Research Report
Integrated Research ReportIntegrated Research Report
Integrated Research Report
ashleyyeap
Ìý
ENG Final research report pdf
ENG Final research report pdfENG Final research report pdf
ENG Final research report pdf
Madeline Liew
Ìý
Integrated Final research report pdf
Integrated Final research report pdfIntegrated Final research report pdf
Integrated Final research report pdf
christinelee1996
Ìý
WAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handout
WAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handoutWAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handout
WAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handout
Sheila Bell
Ìý
Final Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's University
Final Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's UniversityFinal Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's University
Final Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's University
TamZhaoWei
Ìý
Mch services
Mch services Mch services
Mch services
Bianca Poll, MPH
Ìý
Sally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atch
Sally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atchSally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atch
Sally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atch
Sally James
Ìý
Economics Research Report
Economics Research ReportEconomics Research Report
Economics Research Report
ashleyyeap
Ìý
A Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to Care
A Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to CareA Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to Care
A Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to Care
UC San Diego AntiViral Research Center
Ìý
Ebola clinical care guidelines
Ebola clinical care guidelines Ebola clinical care guidelines
Ebola clinical care guidelines
Ally O'Mara
Ìý
Lioce Letter ANA Presidents
Lioce Letter ANA PresidentsLioce Letter ANA Presidents
Lioce Letter ANA Presidents
Lori Lioce
Ìý
Abbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptx
Abbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptxAbbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptx
Abbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptx
t41765664
Ìý
Resume
ResumeResume
Resume
jess_sterr
Ìý
Resume
ResumeResume
Resume
jess_sterr
Ìý
Integrated Research Report
Integrated Research ReportIntegrated Research Report
Integrated Research Report
ashleyyeap
Ìý
ENG Final research report pdf
ENG Final research report pdfENG Final research report pdf
ENG Final research report pdf
Madeline Liew
Ìý
Integrated Final research report pdf
Integrated Final research report pdfIntegrated Final research report pdf
Integrated Final research report pdf
christinelee1996
Ìý
WAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handout
WAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handoutWAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handout
WAVE - Autism Inclusion 101 companion handout
Sheila Bell
Ìý
Final Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's University
Final Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's UniversityFinal Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's University
Final Research Report Integrated FNBE 0115 Taylor's University
TamZhaoWei
Ìý
Sally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atch
Sally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atchSally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atch
Sally James Media Kit.4.3.16.atch
Sally James
Ìý
Economics Research Report
Economics Research ReportEconomics Research Report
Economics Research Report
ashleyyeap
Ìý
A Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to Care
A Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to CareA Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to Care
A Decade of Treating HCV in Patients with Ongoing Barriers to Care
UC San Diego AntiViral Research Center
Ìý
Ebola clinical care guidelines
Ebola clinical care guidelines Ebola clinical care guidelines
Ebola clinical care guidelines
Ally O'Mara
Ìý
Lioce Letter ANA Presidents
Lioce Letter ANA PresidentsLioce Letter ANA Presidents
Lioce Letter ANA Presidents
Lori Lioce
Ìý
Abbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptx
Abbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptxAbbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptx
Abbottsford Site CaRMS ºÝºÝߣ Show 2024.pptx
t41765664
Ìý

NP Week Op-Ed