Happy Anniversary to JNP!

Abstract

ver the years I have had several opportunities to talk to representatives from business or industry about nurse practitioners (NPs) and the Ounique contributions we make to health care. The first few sessions were painful, with such a lack of knowledge about who NPs were and what we could do that I spent most of my time trying to dispel misinformation and clarify very basic information. But over time, the sessions have produced more engaging dialogue with knowledgeable people who knew enough about the role to ask good questions. I recently talked to a relatively large group of representatives from different marketing agencies. This group was filled with mostly younger individuals, many of whom I suspected not only knew about the role but had probably even received care from an NP. I knew this would be a new type of opportunity for me and one with higher risk. It is one thing to describe to an uninformed group what NPs can do and how they do it that makes them different from other providers, but it is an entirely different matter to describe these same things to someone who has had experiences that may or may not agree with what I am saying. So, I couldn’t help thinking to myself, “Please let these individuals have had positive experiences with NPs!” Don Gardenier from Mt. Sinai in New York also participated with me in the discussion and was a wonderful representative of the knowledgeable specialist, politically astute and well able to describe the contributions of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners to facilitating the practice of NPs. The audience reception of our content was positive. There was a lot of enthusiasm about the NP role and opportunities to work with NPs, but I wondered what the listeners would finally take away from the meeting. As we were preparing to leave, a young woman came up to me and immediately her eyes filled with tears. She said to me, “What you said about NPs being patient-centered, listening to our concerns, helping us solve our own problems, resonated with me. That is exactly what happened to me. I went in for a GYN exam and the NP listened to me, talked to me, and figured out that something else was going on. Based on her questions and referral, I was diagnosed with lupus and have been under treatment ever since. You are right: NPs listen. NPs care. NPs are the ones whose role it is to teach and counsel.” So, thanks to all of you strong clinicians, knowledgeable patient advocates, necessary politicians, and peerless counselors. I felt like NPs in general had just passed a test. I am gratified that the NP role envisioned by Dr Loretta Ford so many years ago is being implemented as she desired. This issue marks the 10th anniversary of the first publication of The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. I am proud to be an NP, your colleague, and the editor of this journal. I hope that JNP has played a role in shaping your knowledge and solidifying your craft. I have immensely enjoyed working with the many authors, reviewers, and columnists who have supported JNP from its