UW Nursing School Members Attend Nurse Practitioner Ceremony at State Capitol

Students, faculty and alumni of the University of Wyoming's Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing recently attended a signing ceremony by Gov. Mark Gordon at the State Capitol in Cheyenne. The ceremony allowed those in attendance to witness the governor sign a proclamation acknowledging the work of nurse practitioners during National Nurse Practitioner Week Nov. 10-16.

Those from the nursing school included Esther Gilman-Kehrer, clinical associate professor; Ann Marie Hart, professor and Doctor of Nurse Practitioner Program director; and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner student Susan Law. Also present were Mary Behrens, 2024 UW Distinguished Alumna; Maria Kidner, 2024 College of Health Sciences Distinguished Alumna for the nursing school; and Alicia LePard, president of the Wyoming Council for Advanced Practice Nurses.

According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, nurse practitioners have been providing primary, acute and specialty health care to millions of patients across the lifespan. Nurse practitioners evaluate patients, order and interpret tests, make diagnoses, write prescriptions and bring a comprehensive perspective to health care in nearly a billion patient visits each year.

The expanded range of health care provided by nurse practitioners is particularly important in the many vast rural areas found throughout Wyoming, where access to health care is often limited.

There are currently about 2,660 nurse practitioners serving throughout Wyoming, many of whom graduated from UW's Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing.

Reflecting on the proclamation signing, Hart says, "Nurse practitioners provide a significant amount of health care services throughout Wyoming, especially primary care and psychiatric mental health services. Multiple studies have demonstrated that patient outcomes from NP-delivered care are equivalent to physician-delivered care. Furthermore, the state of Wyoming was an earlier supporter of NPs and was one of the first states in the U.S. to adopt full scope of practice for NPs, so it is especially fitting that Governor Gordon acknowledged the importance of NPs to Wyoming's health with an NP week proclamation."

For those interested in pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing has two clinical concentrations: family nurse practitioner (FNP) and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). For master's-prepared FNPs or PMHNPs, the school offers an option for obtaining the DNP degree; however, this option requires that these individuals take the entire post-Bachelor of Science in Nursing plan of study, including coursework to prepare them in another population area: FNP or PMHNP.

The FNP concentration prepares students for careers in rural primary care, and the PMHNP concentration prepares students for careers in rural psychiatric mental health care.

"We know that nurse practitioners are at the heart of health care, as indicated by this year's Nurse Practitioner Week theme," says Sherrill Smith, dean and professor of the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing. "We are proud of our NP faculty and students who are making a difference in health care settings across Wyoming and beyond."

"Nurse practitioners are at the forefront of delivering compassionate, patient-centered care, addressing critical health care needs in communities across our state," says Michelle Hilaire, interim dean of the College of Health Sciences. "The proclamation recognizing Nurse Practitioner Week not only honors their dedication and expertise, but also underscores their essential role in advancing health equity and improving lives."

To learn more about the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing DNP program, go to www.uwyo.edu/nursing/programs/dnp/index.html.

About the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences

UW's College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, speech-language pathology, social work, kinesiology, public health, health administration and disability studies. The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne, as well as operating a speech/hearing clinic in Laramie and primary care clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.

With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and frontier populations.