Nurse Practitioners Lead in Health Policy
Meet with lawmakers and learn about policy changes in Washington, D.C., March 2-4.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) advocate every day for their patients but, once a year, these providers have the incredible opportunity to take that advocacy directly to Capitol Hill and speak with Members of Congress and their staff to promote the importance of patients’ full and direct access to NP-care. Hundreds of NPs will gather in Washington, D.C., March 2-4, at the 2025 AANP Health Policy Conference take in educational presentations from health care industry experts and meet with their elected officials in Congress.
Attendees of the health policy conference (HPC) can also earn approximately 16.5 contact hours of continuing education credit, pending approval by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP). Read on to hear from NPs who have attended the HPC about what they’ve gained and learned from their experience, and why they believe it is so important to advocate — especially in person — for their patients with lawmakers in the nation’s capital.
NPs Working for Patients Through Policy
Anne Lake, DNP, ONP-C, is an NP specializing in osteoporosis and bone health. As she puts it, she “never really thought about the political side of health care. I’ve always been focused on patient care and the directives of helping people get better, stay well and live the fullest life they can in the healthiest way.”
But during the pandemic, she came to realize she was part of a much wider picture. “Many of my patients were not able to get in to get their treatments during that time. We had to come up with different ways to be able to get the medication to the patients; they have to come in every six months, and they weren't able to get in. There were actually policy level changes that occurred from the pharmacy side and Medicare side to allow people to have the injections in their homes during COVID-19 because they couldn't get to the clinic. I was like, ‘Wow. This is interesting.’ In 2020, I went back and got my Master of Studies in law and health care policy to be more of an advocate, to have a better understanding of what's going on in health care policy and how I can make a difference on a higher level.”
Lake was more recently introduced to the importance of health policy, but the HPC is unique in that it is open to both health policy novices and seasoned policy professionals. Susan Conaty-Buck, DNP, MFA, FNP-C, FAANP, for example, says that she is “a policy junkie. I always have been, and nursing was my second career […] I was a legislative director in South Carolina, so actually working inside of the system helped me to understand more how much of the direct contact with legislators really meant.”
Networking and Education
Julia Ponder, DNP, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC, is an NP from Arkansas who travelled to Washington D.C. for the HPC. “I believe in our profession. I believe in what we do,” she explains as to why she made the trip. “And most of all, I believe in patient access to care. I think that the only way we can do that is to develop relationships with our legislators, learn how to speak to them — and I believe that AANP gives us great opportunity to do that at this event.” She also mentions that she “love(s) the camaraderie with my fellow NPs. I've met so many people, made so many friends. It's just such a great opportunity to not only advocate for my patients and my professions, but to make friends.”
Arlene Wright, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, LNC, also centers on the importance of networking at the HPC. “It's so important to — number one, have a voice — but it's also important to network. One of the greatest things about coming here is to be able to reconnect or connect. I think it's so exciting that there's so many newcomers here this year. That just is wonderful because it means that we are reaching a greater audience.”
Finally, NPs interviewed about the HPC also spoke about the many educational opportunities available. Christy Blanco, DNP, RN, WHNP-BC, FAANP, notes that “I am able to get the education I need to advocate for NPs here. As an example, artificial intelligence has expanded. It is exploding. And I am involved with artificial intelligence with my profession, with my practice. And I looked right there — it's at this conference; it's on the agenda. And I said, ‘Why did I ever doubt that AANP was not going to have some of the best education in leadership and in health policy?’ It’s exactly what I need to help advocate for patients and to help advocate for clinical education.”
Join NPs in D.C. This March
Space is limited for the 2025 AANP Health Policy Conference. Check back regularly for updates to the schedule, thought-provoking presentations and congressional visits.