By the early 1980s,
nurse practitioner education moved into graduate programs and by 1981, most
states required graduate degrees for nurse practitioner practice. In response to the scientific knowledge
explosion, programs kept adding new courses, expanding their length and their
credit loads. By the turn of the 21st century, most nurse
practitioner programs credit hours far exceeded those in other graduate
programs. At the same time there was a growing movement towards practice doctorates
in other professions and this led educators to think about new types of nurse
practitioner programs. By 2005, the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) became
the newest level of practitioner training, giving credit for the breadth of
content in the nurse practitioner programs.
Shabnam Sabur on 03 Oct 15This article reviewed several different studies on interdisciplinary care and looked for ways that we can improve on health care and implement better teamwork. What I found most interesting is that the article talks about how educating staff on the benefits of teamwork is seriously lacking. Two issues are emerging in health care as clinicians face the complexities of current patient care: the need for specialized health professionals, and the need for these professionals to collaborate. Interdisciplinary health care teams with members from many professions answer the call by working together, collaborating and communicating closely to optimize patient care.
Julie Lemen on 04 Oct 15This article finds two emerging issues that must be addressed to optimize patient care: "the need for specialized health professionals, and the need for these professionals to collaborate." In nursing we talk a lot about "continuity of care" and that a seamless transition between PCPs, specialists, in-patient, and out-patient services is not only good-practice but vital for thorough health care delivery and improving long term outcomes.
