This year marks the 50th anniversary of nurse practitioners (NPs) in the United States. This issue contains a special article written by Cynthia Saver, MS, RN, who chronicles the history of the NP movement enriched by a narrative compilation of individual interviews she held with NP leaders including: Loretta Ford, Margaret Fitzgerald, Jan Towers, Debra Barksdale, Susanne Phillips, Michael Carter, Charity McClure, and me. These trailblazers were asked about challenges and successes from the past, issues in the present, and visions for the future of NPs in the nation's healthcare system. The Nurse Practitioner journal is also celebrating 40 years on the scene, and we launched our January issue with a collage of former journal covers to commemorate the milestone.
We ask you to continue to join us in the celebration of both NPs and The Nurse Practitioner journal throughout the year and particularly at the annual National Conference for Nurse Practitioners (NCNP) May 6 to 9 in Philadelphia. The meeting promises to be a revitalizing experience and an opportunity to network with clinical experts from around the country.
Other nursing celebrations
The conference dates coincide with other traditional nursing celebrations this year. May 6 to 12 is National Nurses Week in the United States. The theme reflects the American Nurses Association's (ANA) declaration of 2015 as the Year of Ethics. You and your nursing organizations are encouraged to celebrate at your workplace and in your community during Nurses Week. Let the world know that nurses "advocate for the rights, health, and safety of nurses and patients." The ANA website offers a toolkit with resources that can help you organize celebratory events at your facility.1 And as always, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has declared May 12 as International Nurses Day with the theme, "Nurses: A Force For Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective."2 ICN has created a document that provides an overview of health financing, budgeting, and resource allocation; strategic planning for efficient service delivery; effective management; and an effective health workforce. The value of nursing is emphasized throughout the document. ICN states that every nurse in the world should learn this content and possess related skills.
The long road ahead
While we have much to celebrate, there is still much more to do. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that countries have 50 nurses per 10,000 population in order to adequately address the healthcare needs of its nation.3 Corresponding nurse to 10,000 population ratios are startling and confirm the global nursing workforce shortage: Somalia 1.1 nurses per 10,000 population; Chile, 1.4 per 10,000; Malawi, 3.4 per 10,000. Switzerland has the highest ratio at 173.6 nurses for every 10,000 population. No number is recorded in the WHO document for the United States. The WHO believes that health is strongly linked to development and sustainability of an economy in any country.
Celebrating all of us
Finally, we cannot forget what Florence Nightingale did for nursing science. Last September, I had the privilege of visiting the museum that was built in her honor in London, England. Her diaries intrigued me the most; it was fascinating to actually read her entries even if through "the looking glass." I have an appreciation for challenges nurses faced in the past and those we face today here in the United States and around the world, where I have collaborated with colleagues in Botswana, Japan, and Lithuania to advance nursing practice and the NP role. Let us celebrate each other and everything that is nursing as we continue our collective work.
"The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell."
-Zora Neale Hurston
Jamesetta Newland, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [email protected]
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