LMU Celebrating 2021 Nurse Practitioner Week
(Dr. Jennifer Savage (second from right), director of the LMU-CSON Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program, and FNP students recently volunteered at a Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic.)
Lincoln Memorial University-Caylor School of Nursing (LMU-CSON) is recognizing the vital role of nurse practitioners during National Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week, November 7-13, 2021. This year’s theme is “NPs: Going the Extra Mile.”
The 2021 commemoration comes after health care workers continue to be faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has elevated awareness of how NPs are essential to our health care system. NP Week recognizes the contributions more than 325,000 licensed NPs make to the health of patients nationwide.
“NPs play a critical role in educating patients on ways to improve their mental and physical well-being,” said April N. Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP- BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP). “As our nation continues to face the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 and works to eliminate health care disparities illuminated by this pandemic, NPs strengthen our ability to ensure patients have equitable access to high-quality care.”
NPs practice in clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centers, nursing homes, and private practices across the country – wherever patients are in need – and continue to provide front-line care during the COVID-19 pandemic. NPs assess patients, order and interpret tests, make diagnoses, and provide treatment, including prescribing medications. As clinicians who blend clinical expertise with an added emphasis on disease prevention and health management, NPs are the health care provider of choice for millions of people.
The LMU-CSON introduced the Master of Science in Nursing program in 2006 with a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) concentration offered on the LMU Main Campus in Harrogate, Tennessee. In 2011, the MSN program expanded to include a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP) concentration, offering it at the LMU-Cedar Bluff off campus site. In addition to a traditional program, the University now offers the FNP and FPMHNP concentrations online.
“The Caylor School of Nursing is so fortunate to have an opportunity to educate Family Nurse Practitioners and Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners which will enter the health care system,” said Dr. Tammy Dean, LMU-CSON dean.
Since 2006 more than 500 NPs have graduated from LMU-CSON and now serve in communities throughout Appalachia and beyond.
“It is rewarding to have the opportunity to teach students about mental health in the Caylor School of Nursing,” added FPMHNP Program Director, Dr. Lisa Pullen. “There is such a need for mental health providers and services especially since the COVID pandemic. I feel that the students in the CSON have such a variety of classroom and clinical interactive experiences that prepares them to be competent Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners upon graduation.”
Enrollment in the LMU-CSON has increased exponentially over the last decade with the addition of new programs and concentrations. The LMU-CSON offers a variety of degree options to meet nurses’ career goals including a Licensed Practical Nurse-Associate of Science in Nursing (LPN-ASN), the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN), the Registered Nurse-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN), and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), all at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, LMU-CSON offers the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with concentrations including Family Nurse Practitioner, Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Nursing Administration. The MSN-Nurse Anesthesia concentration moves to a doctoral level in January 2022. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is offered as well.
To access a wealth of timely health care resources, explore ways to protect your health during the COVID-19 pandemic and learn more about NPs or locate an NP near you, visit the AANP’s wechoosenps.org.
Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423.869.6280 or email at admissions@LMUnet.edu.