August Director Notes

Should Practicing NPs Make Back To School Time a Priority for Themselves?
By: Terri Schmitt PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
Executive Director, NPACE

It’s fall and back to school is on top of mind for many. In contemplating this time of year it dawned on me that I only think of back to school as a season for the kids, or when I was teaching it also coincided with preparing for my own classes and students. What if ‘back to school’ was a time for everyone? What if we all used each fall as a time to reflect on our own current learning needs, the things to improve our practice, or to explore areas unknown?  What would it look like if once a year we really set aside time for ourselves to better our minds and our professional practice?

This fall I have personally vowed to start just this, to begin taking the fall to set one learning goal for myself and find the resources to learn in that area. One of my own personal areas to set learning this fall is in learning more about how as a nurse practitioner I could start my own healthcare business. Luckily for me, there is an entire morning workshop devoted to this subject at an upcoming NPACE conference in October in Cape Cod! Dr. Lynn Rapsilber is devoting a whole morning to the topic of NPs starting their own business. I plan on attending Lynn’s session and working to expand how I can impact patient health, and outcomes, and improve access to care through my own business.

If you have specific professional learning needs, you might find what you need at our learning center at learn.npace.org. You may want to join us in Cape Cod or Phoenix to attend a workshop, brush up on pharmacology knowledge, or attend primary care or acute care track. If you can’t find exactly what you are looking for to help you in your ‘back to school’ life-long professional learning journey, then please take a moment to fill out our annual Needs Assessment here. Not only can you provide specific feedback on what you want to learn about through NPACE, but you can also win a chance at a free 2024 in-person conference seat.

Our goal is to help you meet some of your professional and practice needs. It’s the focus of everything we do and this month we are thankful for your work as nurses and nurse practitioners. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements! Follow us on social media or reach out to us with your thoughts and ideas at npace@npace.org.

Terri Schmitt PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
Executive Director