Well - Winter 2013 - (Page 5)

A New Generation of Specialized Health Care The ranks of advanced practice registered nurses grow at UNC Health Care. F PHOTO: KENT CORLEY or Lynne Farber, nurse practitioner (NP) and assistant professor for UNC Hospitals’ Division of Pediatric Surgery, it was a simple suggestion that her husband offered as she contemplated a career change: go to graduate school to earn a master’s degree and become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). What she never predicted was how significant her role as an NP (a specific type of APRN) would be, especially today. BY MAGGIE CAGNEY Health Care, says residents’ duty hours are also a limiting factor. Residents are allowed to work only a certain amount of hours, but the work never goes away, which is where APRNs come into play. “At UNC, we have 300 APRNs who are nurse practitioners, but that number is slowly climbing to help fill gaps,” she says. “They know and understand patient care and the importance of engaging the whole family,” she says. “I’ve watched the NPs in the newborn nursery at N.C. Children’s Hospital go into their patients’ rooms and help the new mothers feel at ease,” she says. “They tend to have a less hurried approach to taking care of patients.” As an NP who has worked in the UNC Health Care System for more than 10 years, Farber says she cannot imagine being anywhere else. “I love the cohesive group of specialized clinicians who provide the best care for our patients,” she says. With each patient, each family, the APRNs of UNC Health Care are changing the meaning of specialized care, providing the best experience possible for the citizens of the state. Robin Deloach, CPNP; Amy Lamm, CPNP; Lynne Farber, CPNP (Department of Pediatric Surgery). Advanced practice registered nurses have educational experience and training beyond their registered nurse preparation. They go through rigorous training to become exceptional clinicians and team members. “It is often said that [pediatric] NPs are the glue of the service, ensuring expert and safe surgical care for children from infancy to age 21,” Farber says. The number of NPs is set to nearly double by 2025, according to an analysis published in Medical Care, the official journal of the Medical Care Section of the American Public Health Association. Tom Bush, a family NP who has been with UNC Health Care since 1995, says that because there is a shortage of physicians in primary and specialized care, especially in rural areas, APRNs are in high demand. He also says that NPs are a cost-effective way to provide care—they cost less to educate, and it takes less time to prepare them. Carolyn Viall Donohue, RN, MSN, NE-BC, associate chief nursing officer and associate vice president of UNC The Four Types of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses • Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA): A nurse whose focus and specialization involves administering anesthesia. CRNAs must receive an advanced graduate-level degree and complete board certification in anesthesia. • Certified nurse midwife (CNM): A nurse who specializes in both nursing and midwifery. Their focus is providing women whose births are not considered “high risk” with the medical care they need. • Clinical nurse specialist (CNS): A nurse who must earn his or her master’s or doctorate degree from a program that prepares CNSs. CNSs have limited prescription writing authority, and their scope of practice may vary from state to state. • Nurse practitioner (NP): A nurse who has acquired a graduate-level degree (master’s or Doctor of Nursing Practice degree). NPs complete rigorous training to provide a full range of services, including prescription writing. www.unchealthcare.org 5 http://www.unchealthcare.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Well - Winter 2013

Well - Winter 2013
Contents
UNC Health Care News
Community
A New Generation of Specialized Health Care
Choose to Lose
Healing the Stubborn Wounds
Nutrition
Calendar

Well - Winter 2013