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fhea.com Fitzgerald Health Education Associates
™
May 2016
• Grant writing and program proposal de-
velopment skills: These were no doubt
gained during the development of your
thesis, scholarly project, or other cap-
stone project.
• Teaching skills: Remember all the presen-
tations from your graduate program? Did
you teach or tutor undergraduate nurs-
ing students? Did you work with fami-
lies? You most likely have considerable
teaching experience, even if you have
never held a faculty position.
• Design and development of community
and patient education programs and
materials.
Q
What do I know about my state's
requirements for NP practice?
A
The educational preparation needed
for entry into advanced practice nurs-
ing, as well as the NP's scope of practice
and prescriptive authority, is determined at
the state level. Prior to applying for any po-
sition, be prepared to answer questions
about your state's requirements for ad-
vanced practice. You can find more infor-
mation at
National Council of State Boards
of Nursing (NCSBN)
.
Also, become well-versed about your
ability to obtain a federal Drug Enforce-
ment Administration (DEA) number, which
is needed to prescribe controlled sub-
stances. To find out the scope of NP con-
trolled substance authority, and to learn
more about controlled substances sched-
ules, visit Drug Enforcement Adminstra-
tion's
Office of Diversion Control .
Learn about the
Affordable Care Act and
research
Medicare , Medicaid , and other in-
surances and their policies regarding reim-
bursement to NPs. Find out how to obtain
your
National Provider Identifier (NPI) .
Have a plan in place to become nation-
ally certified as an NP. Many employers re-
quire this as a condition of employment,
and most states require this as a condition
of obtaining an advanced practice nurs-
ing license. Acquire the necessary paper-
work and organize your documents so
that you can proceed with certification in
an expeditious manner. Taking a
Fitzger-
ald Certification Exam Review
will help
prepare you for the exam and practice.
Q
How can I explain to others what
the NP role is?
A
By the end of these exercises, you
should be able to briefly explain your
view of the NP role. Having a print re-
source on hand can also be very helpful,
particularly when dealing with a practice
that has no NPs currently on staff.
The American Association of Nurse Prac-
titioners has helpful documents on its
website, including an
NP Scope of Practice
Statement
and NP Fact Sheet .
Now that you have completed your
time of reflection, it is time to launch your
new career. All of us at Fitzgerald Health
Education Associates wish you great
success. Welcome to the best work on
Earth!
•
Certification Q&A;
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