MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
2009 Advanced Public Policy Institute for Health Professionals (PPI)
February 18-20, 2009
The Westin Grand
Washington, DC

2009 National Nurse Practitioner Summit and Leadership Conference
February 21-23, 2009
The Westin Grand
Washington, DC

JUST RELEASED
NURSE PRACTITIONER DNP EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION AND TITLING: A UNIFIED STATEMENT
Media attention about the DNP degree and a proposed examination for DNP graduates has generated much discussion among nurse practitioner organizations. In an unprecedented effort, a coalition of the national NP organizations has issued a joint statement addressing these matters. For full text, click here.

ACNP Student Members Receive Additional Discount on ANCC Board Certification Exam Fees
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is pleased to offer ACNP student members an extra $50 off the fee for nurse practitioner certification, in addition to the already discounted fee!

• Click here to join ACNP today!
• Click here for more information on this limited-time offer

Latest ACNP Legislative Tracking Chart Now Available (members only)
The ACNP Legislative Tracking Chart summarizes legislation in the 110th Congress that affects NPs, their patients, and the health care delivery system. Click here to log in and download the chart.

The Inaugural Retail Clinician Education Congress
The Inaugural Retail Clinician Education Congress will be held August 11 -13, 2008 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, Florida. This groundbreaking meeting, which offers 16.25 CE credits, is an excellent educational opportunity for clinicians currently working in a retail setting, and for those interested in pursuing a career in this rapidly growing sector. To register, or for more information, go to: www.retailcliniciancongress.org.

Joint Decisions Optimizing the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Complementary CE Web-Enhanced Teleconference with LIVE Case Studies and Q&A
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common condition in primary care, affecting approximately 2 million adults in the United States. If RA is left untreated, as many as 80% of affected patients will become disabled and unable to perform many of the activities of daily living. Such data have underscored the importance of early identification and treatment. By becoming cognizant of the initial signs and symptoms of RA and being able to distinguish the disease from others with similar symptoms, primary care clinicians can initiate pain- relief therapy early and refer patients to a rheumatologist for disease-modifying therapy in a timely manner.

It is important that primary care clinicians be aware of the mechanisms of action of these agents, be better able to prescribe them appropriately, and be aware of preventive measures to reduce risk. As a result, clinicians will be better able counsel and guide their patients in regard to optimal treatment regimens.

Don't miss this 1-hour Web-enhanced teleconference which will provide Nurse Practitioners with evidence- based strategies to partner with rheumatologists in proactively assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients with RA, with the goal of significantly impact patient outcomes.

• Register and listen to the archived webcast
• Complete the post- test and evaluation to receive your CE certificate (only applies if you've registered and participated in the webcast)

Introducing a New FREE CE - CARE AT THE CROSSROADS: The Endocannabinoid Pathway to Reducing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors
This continuing education program, based on the satellite symposium held in conjunction with the 2007 National Clinical Conference of the American College of Nurse Practitioners in San Antonio, Texas, addressed state-of-the-art issues in cardiometabolic risk-factor reduction. This program takes a critical look at a hypothetical clinical case, that of a 54-year-old Hispanic male, to illustrate current approaches to the management of patients with the constellation of cardiometabolic risk factors: type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides, abdominal obesity, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertension, insulin resistance, and other associated contributory factors. Click here to access this free CE opportunity.

ACNP President Responds to Wall Street Journal Article
Julie Stanik-Hutt, ACNP President recently responded to an article published by the Wall Street Journal "Making Room for Dr. Nurse." Click here to view her response. Click here to view the article.

Primary Care – Response by ACNP President published in USA Today
In response to a USA article about the shortage of primary care physicians in the US, ACNP President, Julie Stanik-Hutt forwarded a response noting the role of nurse practitioners in primary care. To view the ACNP response and the USA Today article, click here.

2008 Advanced Public Policy Institute for Health Professionals
ACNP recently hosted its second five day Advanced Public Policy Institute for Health Professionals held March 10-14, 2008. The APPI was created for an interdisciplinary audience of health professionals -- advanced practice nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, and others whose organizational focus is policy and legislation.

The Institute featured nationally-recognized health care policymakers and key leaders from all three branches of Government. Topics included the economics of health care and the federal budgeting process for health programs; chronic disease as an economic issue; the insider’s world of policy-making; challenges of reforming the insurance market; and examples of strategic pathways to reform. A unique feature of this 5-day experience is the opportunity for attendees to experience Washington, DC “live,” by including time on Capitol Hill and meeting with policy-makers at the Dept. of Health and Human Services to observe them in their own environment.

One participant remarked, “Great job bringing all these “minds” together. It really made me think about issues in a different way.” Another said, “Powerful speakers; thank you for a great Institute!” From another, “Should be a requirement for all doctoral students!”

ACNP announces new CE opportunity for nurse practitioners!
With the goal of offering timely and relevant CE for nurse practitioners in a convenient, easily accessible environment, ACNP is pleased to unveil its CE Online Learning Center. Each one hour CE session features an audio presentation (with Power Point slides) initially presented at the 2006 National Clinical Conference.

To facilitate record keeping and CE management, NPs are asked to register by creating an easy to remember login ID and password. This allows the NP to take a break and resume to CE at any point. The site includes complete instructions accompanied by FAQs. Click here to visit ACNP's CE Online Learning Center, or to view a list of available sessions and descriptions click here.

Watch for new CE from the 2007 Clinical Conference!

2008 Public Policy Agenda
The participants at the 2008 National Nurse Practitioner Summit established the Public Policy Agenda which will guide and focus ACNP's government relations consultants, the Board of Directors and staff, and all State, National, and Group affiliates of ACNP on where to direct their energies for legislative issues this year. Click here for a copy of the agenda.

Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP)
Full access to all JNP content online is available only to ACNP Members and Premium Qualified Subscribers. To read any of the content from our official journal The Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP), you must now LOGIN through the ACNP members only area (click here or the "JNP" button on the left hand side of this page) to access the online articles and other content. This is a member benefit - take advantage of the great JNP and Elsevier content today! If you do not know your member number, contact our office at acnp@acnpweb.org or call 703-740-2529 x225.

The JNP is now available online, where you can access all articles, continuing education, ACNP news, etc. If your copy of the JNP has a card attached asking you to please return it, please do so. By returning the postcards, it will allow the publisher to hold down postage rates, and include additional pages of content in the journal.