National Campaign Showcases NP Role in Health Care and Importance of Patient Choice
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has launched “We Choose NPs,” a national public awareness campaign highlighting the crucial role nurse practitioners (NPs) play in expanding access to primary care nationwide The campaign - leveraging an integrated mix of television, radio, and digital advertising - showcases the experiences of real patients who choose NPs as their primary care providers.
"This new campaign focuses on creating a dialogue with consumers about the high-quality, accessible health care NPs provide and the importance of choosing a primary care provider to oversee their health," said AANP President Joyce Knestrick, PhD, C-FNP, APRN, FAANP. “The faith that patients have in NP-delivered health care is evidenced by the more than one billion visits made each year to nurse practitioners. NPs are leading the way in increasing access to primary care -- from rural to urban areas -- and meeting the evolving health care needs of families across every health care setting."
In a July 18 article published by Associations Now, AANP CEO David Hebert notes that, in addition to increasing public awareness of NPs, the campaign also serves an advocacy role. “We have learned over the years that there are a lot of legislators out there who still don’t understand the depth of an NP’s education,” Hebert says in the article. “Like a lot of associations, we start thinking within the circles of our organization that everyone knows about our members, when in fact that’s not necessarily the case. Thus the need to go back and do this kind of campaign again.”
The multimillion dollar campaign includes cable television ads, airing nationally on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, and broadcast television ads in select markets on Good Morning America, Today, and Ellen. Additionally, radio ads will air in key markets.
The campaign is supported by a patient-focused website and blog, WeChooseNPs.org, as well as a robust program of digital advertising, media relations and events designed to reach patients nationwide. In addition, the website highlights the ease of searching for a local NP using NPFinder.com.
New data recently released by AANP shows that the NP profession is growing to meet the challenge of the nation's health care shortages, with more than 248,000 NPs currently licensed to practice in the United States and approximately 23,000 NP students entering the workforce every year.