September 21 marks the first day of Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Week at Atrium Health.
Although 2020 has been a challenging time in healthcare, it has shown how essential APPs are to the continuum of care within our system.
What is an APP?
The term “APPs” refers to Nurse Practitioners (NPs), Physician Assistants (PAs), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs). They are trusted medical professionals, with graduate level medical education, who work closely with physicians and all members of the healthcare team to create a seamless environment of care for patients and families.
How do APPs work within a healthcare system?
APPs practice within defined scopes based on their education, experience and certification. APPs work at hospitals, outpatient centers, emergency rooms, urgent care centers, primary care centers and specialty clinics. Since APPs earn master’s degrees or higher, they have extensive advanced training to provide specific high-quality services such as:
- Taking patient histories
- Conducting physical exams
- Ordering lab work, x-rays and other tests
- Prescribing medications to patients
- Delivering babies and performing women’s health exams
- Taking pre-operative histories
- Conducting post-operative exams
- Helping patients manage chronic health conditions
- Making referrals to specialists for other services
- Acting as first assistants during surgery
APPs are a critical part of the patient care team. They are fundamental to clinical care, medical education, mentoring, clinical research and advocating for different patient populations.
How can you take part in APP Week at Atrium Health?
We’re proud to have over 1,600 APPs at Atrium Health who directly elevate the quality of care in our system. These teammates meet the growing demands of a global pandemic and fulfill the needs of our patients each day. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, many APPs jumped in and helped in our testing sites and roving testing sites as well as manned the observation unit of our virtual hospital for thousands of COVID positive patients. Their value is unparalleled, and their impact advances the health, hope and healing for all within our communities.
This second annual event combines five nationally recognized weeks of each individual APP profession into one fantastic celebration. Throughout the week, honor fellow APPs by expressing gratitude and recognition of these incredible teammates.
Join us – now and next week officially – in thanking all our APPs for their incredible dedication to our patients and families.
