In rural health care, NP programs could also be an answer to severe provider shortages

In 2018, the New Mexico Nurses Association celebrated the state’s twenty fifth anniversary of state nurses with the ability to practice independently of physicians and have prescriptive authority.

Despite the influx of rural healthcare providers, rural New Mexico residents – like many across the country – struggle with access to care and a severe shortage of primary care providers.

According to Georgetown University Health Policy Institute20% of the US population lives in rural areas. However, lower than 11% of American physicians are based near or practicing in rural America. This shortage is causing gaps in rural health care.

This problem has hit New Mexico particularly hard. According to data from 2010, the share of rural areas within the USA is nineteen.3%. United States Census Bureau. At the identical time, New Mexico was found to be 22.6% rural. Of the state’s 33 counties, 12 were considered mostly rural or entirely rural in 2010. When it involves rural health care, it doesn’t bode well.

How big is the issue?

Johanna K. Stiesmeyer, DNP, RN-BC, director of clinical education and skilled development at Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says there are 0.83 nurses per 1,000 people nationwide. In New Mexico, the figure is about one-third that rate. “There is simply a terrible gap in access to patients in the market,” she said Albuquerque Journal newspaper. “To help combat primary care shortages in rural New Mexico, Presbyterian Healthcare Services and the University of New Mexico College of Nursing have partnered to expand access to primary care providers in rural communities through the creation of a nurse residency program,” Stiesmeyer said .

The The NP residency program is funded by a $3.2 million grant awarded to Presbyterian by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.

“This is a first for national lawmakers and rural communities, and this is exactly what we need in New Mexico,” Stiesmeyer said. According to a report prepared by New Mexico Department of Public HealthRural counties in New Mexico have the very best variety of residents over the age of 65 (26%) in comparison with urban-rural counties (16.1%) in New Mexico. This can also be higher than the national average of 15.6%. With the U.S. population rapidly aging, this might mean that many older adults won’t have access to the care they need.

NP Residency Programs in New Mexico

Stiesmeyer said the grant will fund this system — formally generally known as the Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Program — for 4 years, and official planning began in July 2019. Three groups of NP residents are hired in the course of the second, third and fourth years of study, she said . Each yr, nine latest NPs will probably be chosen for one-year NP residency programs that begin each July, starting in 2020. “The program has two year-long residency tracks – family practice and nurse midwifery,” said Carolyn Montoya, PhD, RN, PCPNP-BC , associate dean for clinical affairs at UNM’s College of Nursing. “Participants will complete their residencies in 10 multidisciplinary Presbyterian Family Medical Clinics in six different New Mexico counties.” The NP residency programs are usually not only for UNM NP graduatesMontoya said.

“APRN residencies are open to any graduate of an accredited NP or nurse midwifery program who completes it within 18 months of the residency start date,” she said.

Interested latest graduate NPs who want to apply for this system must pass certification boards and be licensed as an NP or nurse midwife in New Mexico. These requirements should be met before this system begins, Montoya said. “Graduate NPs who are accepted into this program will have the opportunity to receive one year of training from experienced primary care providers,” she said. “They will complete their residencies in rural New Mexico, thus giving them the opportunity to provide rural health care with teacher support and participate in a curriculum that includes advanced treatments for selected conditions.”

Health care challenges in rural New Mexico

NP in New Mexico profit from full practice and normative authority.

“When NPs graduate from the University of New Mexico, they are fully prepared to practice,” she said. “This program does not replicate what participants in our program have learned. These residencies are aimed at medically complex patients, as well as geriatric patients with complex problems, of which New Mexico has a large population.”

We hope that the agricultural immersion experience will end in more nurses and midwives remaining in rural New Mexico health practices after completing NP Residency ProgramsMontoya said. According to Stiesmeyer, various strategies are being explored to extend retention rates of native physicians to proceed working in rural health practices. “These one-year residencies will provide NPs with a salary and benefits from Presbyterian Health Care,” she said. They are on the lookout for NPs who’ve a passion for caring for patients in rural communities since it takes special people to serve in rural areas, Stiesmeyer said. “We want national programs that have the best chance of success working in rural settings and that want to continue working in rural communities.” According to Montoya, patients in rural areas face quite a few social and health challenges. They are inclined to have lower incomes, lower levels of health literacy, and infrequently struggle with multiple, complex conditions. “We are thrilled that Presbyterian Healthcare Services has selected UNM as its academic partner for this program to give us the opportunity to serve rural communities,” Montoya said. According to Stiesmeyer, the choice to partner with UNM was a simple one due to Presbyterian’s positive experiences with the nursing school and Montoya. “Receiving the HRSA scholarship is a great compliment,” Stiesmeyer said. “This is a great opportunity to share best nursing practices in the state of New Mexico.”

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