Thanksgiving traditionally opens a great season of optimism and hope for the future. Health care reform is, for many, an optimistic sign of greater attention to the needs of the patient and what will be the best way of delivering health care so that the patient can return more rapidly to optimal health.
UDM’s Doctor of Nursing Practice and Nurse Practitioner programs are ways in which the College and the McAuley School of Nursing are growing and adapting to health care needs to be met by the community.
Nurses prepared with a bachelor’s degree, nurse practitioners and advanced practiced nurses will be of greatest assistance in the face of health reforms that make possible shorter hospital stays and returning the patient to the comfort of recuperating in one’s own home. Advanced Practice Nurses can go into the community and into peoples’ homes. They can examine, assess and evaluate, and even write prescriptions. With the support of these skilled professionals, people who are recuperating from an illness or injury can continue on the path to feeling good outside of a hospital setting.
The UDM-McAuley School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice launched in September 2010, and this year another 10 students have entered the program. Students typically are Nurse Practitioners at a very high skill level and experience level who want to advance their learning and expand the service they provide to patients.
This Thanksgiving, we can all give thanks for such visionary professionals who are preparing ahead for rapid changes in health care delivery that will mean smaller hospital facilities, shorter hospital stays and more community-based care.