NP Pioneers--Celebrating 50 Years of Role Development
NP Pioneers--Celebrating 50 Years of Role Development
It has been an exciting 40+ years! Little did I know when I became an NP in 1974 what the future would have in store. Practice was very different then; and even though NPs were practicing independently in many settings, there were many conditions that NPs had not been prepared to manage. For example, at that time NPs did not read x-rays or EKGs. Management of complex conditions such as congestive heart failure and diabetes was handled by the collaborating physician. Prescriptions were co-signed, often ahead of time for whatever we NPs would need to order. But even then, as simplistic as our practice might seem now, NPs were providing care to populations that would have gone without health access otherwise.
Upon completion of my doctorate degree, I returned to New Mexico to become the director of the newly established FNP program at the University of New Mexico. This was a very productive time for NPs and for NP practice. Programs were multiplying and NPs were beginning to be recognized for their contributions to primary care. Because of the rural nature of our state, health care access was difficult for many. A group of NPs, along with the New Mexico NP Council, myself, and our nursing lobbyist from NM Nurses Association, decided to seek independent practice. After many meetings and discussions with our medical colleagues and other parties of interest, Independent practice for NPs was passed by the legislature and became a reality in 1993. The FNP program flourished and has provided numerous primary care providers to rural and underserved areas of the state.
Nationally, the 1990s were an exciting time for NP education. There was a great deal of energy around standardization of NP education to ensure the quality across programs. In 1998, I chaired the task force which produced The Model Pharmacology/Pharmacotherapeutics Curriculum Guidelines for FNP programs. This was a joint venture with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
I served as President of NONPF during a time when many significant advanced practice issues were coming to the attention of nursing educators. NONPF took the lead in exploring the concept in NP education with the first task force chaired by Lucy Marion. The Criteria for Evaluation of Quality Nurse Practitioner Programs were updated and became part of the accreditation process for utilization by NP programs. During my term as President, NONPF and AACN moved forward to convene a meeting to discuss challenges for APRNs. This group was the precursor to the APRN work group that later developed the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation (2008).
Last but certainly not least important, it has been a privilege to be part of the growth of NP education and to see advanced practice nurses take their place as vital contributors to the health care system. Equally meaningful and satisfying is having been a part of helping nurses become competent primary care providers. It has been such a joy to observe the growth of nurses into the professional role of the NP.
Bio: Dr Viens became an RN in 1965 and received her BSN at the University of Vermont, her MS and FNP at the University of Colorado in 1974, and a DNSc at the University of San Diego. She taught at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque where she was the director of the FNP program and division director. Beginning in 2002 she became an associate professor at the Yale University School of Nursing and worked as an NP at Back to Health in Branford, CT.
She was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 2003; President, NONPF, 2002–2004; Member, NONPF's Committee on Clinical Hours in Dual Programs, 2002–2007; Member, NONPF's Doctor of Nursing Practice Taskforce, 2000–2006; and Chair, Education Committee, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, 1995–1999.
Diane Viens, DNSc, APRN, AFP, FAANP
Educator
It has been an exciting 40+ years! Little did I know when I became an NP in 1974 what the future would have in store. Practice was very different then; and even though NPs were practicing independently in many settings, there were many conditions that NPs had not been prepared to manage. For example, at that time NPs did not read x-rays or EKGs. Management of complex conditions such as congestive heart failure and diabetes was handled by the collaborating physician. Prescriptions were co-signed, often ahead of time for whatever we NPs would need to order. But even then, as simplistic as our practice might seem now, NPs were providing care to populations that would have gone without health access otherwise.
Upon completion of my doctorate degree, I returned to New Mexico to become the director of the newly established FNP program at the University of New Mexico. This was a very productive time for NPs and for NP practice. Programs were multiplying and NPs were beginning to be recognized for their contributions to primary care. Because of the rural nature of our state, health care access was difficult for many. A group of NPs, along with the New Mexico NP Council, myself, and our nursing lobbyist from NM Nurses Association, decided to seek independent practice. After many meetings and discussions with our medical colleagues and other parties of interest, Independent practice for NPs was passed by the legislature and became a reality in 1993. The FNP program flourished and has provided numerous primary care providers to rural and underserved areas of the state.
Nationally, the 1990s were an exciting time for NP education. There was a great deal of energy around standardization of NP education to ensure the quality across programs. In 1998, I chaired the task force which produced The Model Pharmacology/Pharmacotherapeutics Curriculum Guidelines for FNP programs. This was a joint venture with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
I served as President of NONPF during a time when many significant advanced practice issues were coming to the attention of nursing educators. NONPF took the lead in exploring the concept in NP education with the first task force chaired by Lucy Marion. The Criteria for Evaluation of Quality Nurse Practitioner Programs were updated and became part of the accreditation process for utilization by NP programs. During my term as President, NONPF and AACN moved forward to convene a meeting to discuss challenges for APRNs. This group was the precursor to the APRN work group that later developed the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation (2008).
Last but certainly not least important, it has been a privilege to be part of the growth of NP education and to see advanced practice nurses take their place as vital contributors to the health care system. Equally meaningful and satisfying is having been a part of helping nurses become competent primary care providers. It has been such a joy to observe the growth of nurses into the professional role of the NP.
Bio: Dr Viens became an RN in 1965 and received her BSN at the University of Vermont, her MS and FNP at the University of Colorado in 1974, and a DNSc at the University of San Diego. She taught at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque where she was the director of the FNP program and division director. Beginning in 2002 she became an associate professor at the Yale University School of Nursing and worked as an NP at Back to Health in Branford, CT.
She was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 2003; President, NONPF, 2002–2004; Member, NONPF's Committee on Clinical Hours in Dual Programs, 2002–2007; Member, NONPF's Doctor of Nursing Practice Taskforce, 2000–2006; and Chair, Education Committee, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, 1995–1999.
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