During National Nurse Practitioner Week, Dr. April Kapu, President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners discusses the role of the APRN as provider, the role of the AANP in support of the APRN, and how nurses and APRNs have stepped up during the pandemic to selflessly care for patients.

Dr. Kapu also discusses self-care and taking the time to “fill your tank” and “find your joy”. Nurses often put their own care “on the backburner” (Dr. Kapu). Knowing your “why” for being a nurse and bringing your best self to patients starts with self-care. “We have to center ourselves on the why”. Don’t forget to “focus on yourself and replenish, recover and refill your tank” (Dr. Kapu).

We talk about Full Practice Authority for nurse practitioners and modernizing those laws to allow nurse practitioners to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training. Lifting restrictions provides greater access to care for over 80 million Americans. During the course of the pandemic, Massachusetts and Delaware removed restrictive access to care barriers. Way to go Massachusetts and Delaware! Other legislation that the AANP is advocating for includes the Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act and Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act.

During National Nurse Practitioner Week celebrate yourself with acts of self-care. If you know a nurse practitioner, thank her, him, or them for all that they do to keep patients safe and healthy in our country.