Rants & Raves
Why NPs Need Full Practice and Prescriptive Authority
NP World News is the official news publication of nurse practitioners. Its contributors and columnists are thought leaders in the NP profession.
This is the second of 5 columns I will write for NPWN this year on subject of NP practice, health and health care reform.
Click “Read Full Post” if you would like to leave a comment.
Consumers are the Ultimate Stakeholder in Health Care Reform
This week President Obama invited “stakeholders” in the health care system to the White House to seek their input about the best ways to reform health care. Representatives from hospitals, the insurance industry, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, labor and physicians came to discuss ways to lower health care costs across the board. Neither consumers nor nurse practitioners were among the invited stakeholders.
Also this month the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions (a subsidiary of the international consulting company Deloitte and Touche) published their analysis of a survey they did of 4,001 American adult health care consumers. The survey (administered either in English or Spanish) sought information about the behaviors and attitudes of consumers regarding health care.
Read this post to learn what we as consumers - the ultimate stakeholders in health care reform - say we want.
I’m Down with the Flu - Some Tips for You
It got me. I am down - SO down - with the flu.
I followed all my own advice (which I posted here before flu season). But as a Nurse Practitioner, 6 to 8 of the patients I see every day are sick this time of year. Catching the flu is just an occupational hazard in my line of work.
Read this for tips on how to take care of yourself if you get sick, too. It will tell you when you need to see a health professional and give you some tips on how to keep yourself out of the hospital.
Straight Health Talk with Teens
In the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health it was reported that young people had a better perception of their provider when they were able to discuss sensitive subjects. What remains to be studied is whether those discussions will result in better health outcomes, I believe they will.
Read this post to see what the teens had to say.
Making the Most of Your Medical Appointments
When medical professionals are in training – Nurse Practitioners, Doctors and Physician Assistants – we are taught to ask specific questions to help us arrive at a correct diagnosis. It is called “analysis of a symptom”. You as a patient, however, receive no training to prepare you to answer these questions.
Read this post and learn the questions you will be asked. If you are prepared with detailed answers, you will be able to make the most of your medical appointment.
It Is a Mistake to Call a Nurse Practitioner a Nurse
I do not like it when people call me a Nurse. I liked it when I was a Nurse, but for almost 15 years now I’ve been a Nurse Practitioner. The two titles are NOT interchangeable and the duties and responsibilites are NOT the same.
As a Nurse Practitioner I’m often asked “What should I call you?“. Doctors are addressed as “Doctor”, but if your doctor is a Nurse Practitioner, how should you address that person? Read this post to brush up on the correct titles for different types of nurses. Your nurses will love you for knowing who we are and what we do!
A National Nurse to Help Reform Health Care?
It has been proposed that an Office of a National Nurse be established in Washington. The National Nurse would be empowered to lead an army of nurses into a national campaign of disease prevention and health education. Here’s a brief overview of the National Nurse proposal. If you like the idea, click here for a petition you can sign in support of it, I signed it.
Whether You are Democrat or Republican You Should Be a Maverick about Your Health
The media branded the current Republican presidential candidate a “maverick” and that has made the word popular and common but politics has obscured its meaning. Being a maverick means more than not always voting with one’s own political party.
Being a maverick means you make up your own mind about things, you determine a plan of action and you then have the guts to follow through on your plan. Maverick Health was founded on these principles. Here, on the eve of the election, are some thoughts on why – whether you are a Democrat or a Republican – you should absolutely be a maverick about your health.
This Week’s Post is Postponed Because I’m Post-Op
This week’s post is postponed because I had to have rotator cuff surgery last week. Wish me well and wish me luck - this is a rough ride. I’ll be back with a new post next week. Be careful out there!
Shocking Statistics about Weight in America
Using statistics gathered by the federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, researchers recently published predictions about future trends in weight in the journal Obesity. Using past trends they calculated where our collective weight is heading. This really is shocking - if current trends continue for the next 40 years the same way they have for the last 30 years:
100% of the American population will be overweight or obese in 2048.
