FNPN Presents Virtual BOOTCAMP LIVE 2020! Includes FL NP History

Posted 6/22/20

Arlene Wright, President of Florida NP Network, the oldest and largest state-wide member association for nurse practitioners announced the creation of a CE BOOTCAMP for new NPs. Her idea to build a team of NPs to develop an informational program to learn from experts our history and laws, identify career-enhancing skills, and become aware of critical professional issues facing NPs in Florida.

The team planned to present this at our state conference in August 2020, but COVID restrictions required the team to revise and create two one-half day sessions on ZOOM June 20 and 27th, 2020. Session one began with an inspirational welcome by Dr. Loretta Ford on video followed by a live 30 Min presentations on the history of Florida by Dr. Jean Aertker. The history of the development of NPs in Florida began with Dr. Ford and Dr. Henry Silver in 1965 at the University of Colorado as co-founders of the NP Role.

Our Florida Nurse Practice Act was changed in 1978 by the efforts of Dr. Nancy Ross and many early NPs by adding a definition of Nurse Practitioner to prevent the NPs from being cited for practicing medicine without a license! Today over 35,000 APRNs are licensed in Florida.

Kudos to FNPN for finding a novel way to bring our history and support to our new Florida APRNs!