An integral part of the mission of NANNPU-DMV is to provide educational opportunities for members, other NPs, and consumers. Educational opportunities will be in the form of Medical Newsletters, Conferences, updated information on other education events. NANNPU-DMV may provide opportunities for discounts on some external educational events.
Legislative statute mandates that students graduate from an accredited program approved by the States Board of Nursing. All nurse practitioner programs in the DMV area award Master's Degrees or Post-Master's Certificate as a nurse practitioner. Several university programs within the DMV areas are establishing Doctorate of Nursing Practice programs, which the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing suggested as the entry-level practice for nurse practitioners from 2015.
NANNPU-DMV has information available to help students navigate the bridge between student and new graduate roles–a sometimes cumbersome path. NPAM has information in Student Survival Guide that can be obtained through their website. Though only available to members of NPAM. NANNPU-DMV also has a committee who works to help students make the transition from school to practice.
Nurse practitioner educational programs are designed to prepare students to become certified through national professional examinations as nurse practitioners in one of the specialty areas of practice–pediatrics, adult- gerontology, family, neonatal, gender specific, and psychiatry-mental health.. This national certification is required in order to obtain licensure as a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Every nurse practitioner needs to be aware of the changes made in 2008 regarding the role of licensure, accreditation, certification and education recommended by the Consensus Model. The Consensus Model makes an attempt to standardize that approach on a national level. For a brief synopsis of the Consensus Model CLICK HERE.