When students begin to fully realize the decision-making power they\u2019ll have as nurse practitioners, it can be overwhelming. Even with their wide array of nursing experience, they may not be used to having the final word on a patient\u2019s healthcare, according to Assistant Professor of Nursing Nina Zimmermann, EdD, APRN, ANP-BC.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuddenly, they\u2019re like, \u2018Wow,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cIt really hits them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nurse practitioners are nurses with additional education and training that transitions them into a medical provider who assesses, diagnoses and treats patients. Nurse practitioners are more important than ever before to the nation\u2019s healthcare system, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several factors are responsible for the escalating need, Zimmermann said. \u201cWe have a physician shortage and an ever-growing elderly population, especially in rural areas,\u201d she said. Those individuals have a greater life expectancy than previous generations and have a greater chance of suffering from heart disease, cancer and respiratory problems because of their lifestyles, she said.<\/p>\n While preparing Maryville students for advanced practice, Zimmermann and Assistant Professor of Nursing Carol Berger, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, wondered how they might ease the process of moving students toward greater responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to help them understand it takes a while to fill the shoes of a provider; you’ve got to break in those shoes by walking in them,\u201d Berger said. \u201cSo we said, \u2018Let\u2019s do a podcast.\u2019\u201d In January 2021, they distributed the first episode of \u201cNurse Practitioners Changing Practice<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n “The podcast is designed to encourage students to be excited about the profession,\u201d Berger said. \u201cAnd let them know their work can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n The first order of business was figuring out how to create and distribute a podcast. Turns out that online instruction necessitated by COVID-19 had already familiarized them with a solution. \u201cWe were doing all our teaching over Zoom,\u201d Berger said. \u201cSo you might say that the pandemic launched the whole idea because we were already comfortable with the technology.\u201d<\/p>\n For each podcast, Zimmermann and Berger meet in a Zoom session and record it, then upload the audio file to a half dozen hosting sites like Anchor and Spotify. The sessions are also available as YouTube videos.<\/p>\n Many episodes feature nurse practitioners whose work has resulted in concrete change. Guests Margaret Benz and Sue Kendig have impacted health policy. Chris Hemmer created guidelines for back pain intervention. Berger\u2019s own research helped improve the dental health of rural children in Missouri<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Berger has experience in radio and TV through a book publishing business she owned with her husband, Zimmerman, was new to the role of show host. But it took only one episode to settle in. \u201cWe were just having a conversation about things that we knew from life experiences as nurse practitioners,\u201d Zimmerman, said. \u201cAnd then it got easier and seemed more natural, and we realized we don’t need a script.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite a collection of nationally known guests, Berger and Zimmerman, were surprised to discover the most popular podcast episdoes involve just the two of them. \u201cThe ones where Carol and I talk about how it feels personally to see 15 to 20-plus patients a day, or, \u2018How did you feel as a new nurse practitioner that first year?\u2019\u201d Zimmermann said.<\/p>\n