Wichita State University's School of Nursing and The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) are celebrating the school's 20th year of graduating nurse practitioners and providing quality patient care for the community.

National Nurse Practitioner Week, Nov. 9-15, is a time to celebrate these exceptional professionals and remind lawmakers about the importance of removing outdated barriers that prevent nurse practitioners from serving to the full extent of their education and experience.

As many newly insured patients seek access to health care in the United States, nurse practitioners stand out as a valuable and much-needed resource. There are more than 192,000 nurse practitioners who provide cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered care nationwide. They are licensed, expert clinicians with advanced education – most have master’s degrees and many have doctorate degrees – and extensive clinical preparation. They provide primary, acute and specialty health care services, guiding patients to make educated health care decisions and lifestyle choices, providing services at more than 916 million visits to nurse practitioners a year.

“WSU has a strong history of educating nurse practitioners to provide high quality patient-centered care,” said Alicia Huckstadt, professor and director of graduate nursing programs and a national Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. “We are proud of our faculty, students and alumni. They are exceptional health care professionals who are providing advanced education and quality health care to our community and nation.”

Wichita State offers numerous programs for nurse practitioners, including Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree programs.