A new book was published in October that is aimed at people who want
to become nurses but feel lost when contemplating entering the medical
field. The book, "Fast Facts for the New Nurse Practitioner - What You
Really Need to know in a Nutshell" details the ins and outs of a nurse's
education and practice.
Author Nadine Aktan, Ph.D, RN, FNP-BC, began developing the idea for the
book when she herself was a Rutgers University student and first year
nurse practitioner. She said she felt overwhelmed by things such as
protecting oneself from a lawsuit or how to move from a registered nurse
(RN) to a nurse practitioner because proper resources were not
available. Having learned the hard way, Aktan wanted to give future
nurses the tools she wanted when transitioning into the world of
medicine.
"You are held accountable for your orders so you have to make sure you
are prepared for the new role and responsibilities because in many
instances you are thrown into a situation with no advanced preparation,"
said Aktan.
The book offers basic skills, practical aspects, and a wealth of other
nursing information. "It's me telling my story for the next generation,"
Aktan said. Writing the book took about Aktan about three months, and
while she was constructing it, she incorporated various questions and
concerns that students came to her with.
Such a tool could not come at a better time. The Association of American
Medical Colleges estimates that by 2015, America will have a shortage of
around 21,000 primary care physicians. President Obama has tried to
address the nursing shortage, and spoke to a crowd of over 1,000 nurses
at the biennial American Nurses Association House of Delegates where he
advocated people to go into the field of nursing.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a series of
new investments worth $250 million provided through the Affordable Care
Act to increase the number of health care providers and strengthen the
primary care workforce. Hopefully, Aktan's book will benefit the
plethora of future-nurses who will pursue training and development
through this provision in the health care act. "More people should
definitely enter the field. I love it. And as a family practitioner, I'm
able to get to know patients too and that's great. It makes it
interesting and it never gets boring," Aktan said.
For the last ten years, Aktan, 36, has been a family nurse practitioner
at ImmediCare Center, with locations in Clifton, Bloomfield, and Totowa.
For the last six years, Aktin, a Wayne resident, has been an assistant
professor at William Paterson University (WPU), teaching nursing and
advanced practice nursing. In release time from WPU, she offers her
services one day a week at a clinic in Eva's Village, a progressive
homeless shelter in Paterson, where she helps participants in their
in-patient rehabilitation program. "I always knew I wanted to go into
the health-related field," Aktan said. "I was always interested in
nursing. I never wanted to be a doctor."
"Fast Facts for the New Nurse Practitioner - What You Really Need to
know in a Nutshell" was published by Springer Publishing. Aktan plans to
publish more in the future and is currently working on some new ideas
with Springer Publishing.