Your Health

America’s New Health Care Provider Of Choice

Posted 12/3/2010

Nurse practitioners have become the health care providers of choice for many Americans, providing acute and primary care.

(NAPSI) - Across the nation, more than 140,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) provide a variety of lifesaving health care to patients of all ages and walks of life.

A growing number of people describe these health care professionals as the “real heroes of medicine.” These “everyday heroes” are the health care providers of choice for so many because of their unique combination of medical and nursing expertise.

Here are some important facts about nurse practitioners:

• A master’s degree is required to practice, although most go on to obtain a doctoral degree. They also receive advanced clinical training beyond the initial registered nurse preparation.

• The practitioners diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, infections and injuries.

• They order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and X-rays.

• They prescribe medications and other treatments.

• They treat the whole person, not just a symptom or disease. They focus on health promotion and disease prevention, while guiding their patients toward healthy lifestyles and choices.

Recent surveys show that when it comes to access and responsiveness, many people feel NPs are easier to access than physicians and are more likely to listen and address their concerns.

Because they receive a combination of high-quality health care and health counseling, patients who have NPs as their health care provider often have fewer emergency room visits, shorter hospital stays and often have lower medication costs.

As more patients choose this way to address health care concerns, many seek an easier way to find these professionals. NPFinder.com is an Internet resource that simplifies the search process by allowing patients to search by city, state, ZIP code or specialty.

These heroes touch the lives of millions of Americans each year. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the oldest, largest and only full-service national professional membership organization for NPs of all specialties.

For More Information

For more facts or to locate a nurse practitioner nearby, visit www.aanp.org or call (512) 442-4262.