Many years ago, I was on a routine prenatal visit when a receptionist at the doctor's office asked me if I wanted to see the nurse practitioner because the doctor was delivering a baby. I'd never heard of a nurse practitioner, but I agreed to see her.
She performed the routine physical exam, told me about my baby's size and position and asked if I had questions. We discussed swollen ankles, weight gain and what would happen if I couldn't go through with "natural" childbirth.
She took her time answering my questions, eased my mind about pain medications and told me what to expect at the hospital. I left impressed and encouraged. In talking to nurse practitioners this month, I discovered that my reaction was typical of many patients. They start out unfamiliar with the nurse practitioner role, but come away satisfied with the care.
The American College of Nurse Practitioners estimates that there are more than 115,000 nurse practitioners in the United States. These registered nurses with master's degree-level preparation are trained to assess patients, make diagnoses and determine treatment plans.
Authorized by state regulating boards, they practice in a variety of specialty areas and health care settings, many times providing greater access to care for rural, poor and underserved populations. Gaye Cook, MSN, APRN, has been a nurse practitioner since 1991. She works in public health and teaches in the nursing program at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah. Her patients often tell her that they've never been to a doctor who taught them as much as she did.
"I tell them that's because I'm not a doctor," Cook said. "My nursing background makes us look at the patient as a whole, not just as a diagnosis. Nurses are used to talking to patients and explaining things to them."
Research has shown that advanced practice nurses (nurse practitioners, certi- fied nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and certified registered anesthetists) deliver timely, cost-effective, quality health care in many settings.
The American Nurses Association's position is that between 60 percent and 80 percent of primary and preventative care traditionally done by doctors could be done by advanced practice nurses, and at a lower cost. APRNs could play a critical part in easing America's health care crisis - if some regulatory and legislative barriers to their practice were removed. In Georgia, one of those barriers is the lack of written prescriptive authority.
"We are all involved in the fight - it's crazy not to be able to sign a prescription since we're prescribing and calling it in anyway," Cook said. "I'm constantly surprised by what legislators don't know about what we do."
APRNs want to change that. They've been organizing to lobby and educate legislators to get two prescriptive authority bills out of committee and up for a vote in the 2006 state legislative session. In conjunction with the Georgia Nurses Association, a Rally Day is planned at the state Capitol on Jan. 26.
"We can't compete financially with the powerful Medical Association of Georgia, but there's power in numbers," said Karen Schwartz, MS, WHNP, chair of the United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Georgia grassroots committee. "If we can get enough people involved, and keep up the momentum, I think we have a chance."
One thing that all nurses can do, Schwartz said, is to join the GNA so that more funds will be available for nursing causes. For membership benefits and activities, see www.georgianurses.org.
- Do you have any story ideas for Pulse? We'd love to hear more about your career and what you do after hours. E-mail me at pulseeditor@ajc.com or call 404-526-2078.