Meet Mary Anne Murray, FNP

Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner, and soon to qualify as a Family Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Now living in: Toledo, WA (Lewis County, Southwest Washington)
How long on the board: Since January 2011.

Current work place and position: Currently between positions

Brief work history: FNP since 2002, and have worked as a primary care provider on an Indian reservation, in a rural pediatric clinic, and in juvenile prisons. Since I became an FNP, I have also worked as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

Why you chose your specialty: I became a Family Nurse Practitioner because I was interested in working with people across the lifespan. In preparing to be a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner I have continued that broad perspective. I enjoy the flexibility and multiple options afforded by my FNP training.

Why you volunteered for the BOD: I was on the executive committee of the Association of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (AAPPN) and we wanted another liaison to the AUWS Board, so I volunteered. I thoroughly enjoy the connections that are created and enhanced by participating in organizational leadership.

What you most care about regarding NPs: My greatest concerns are public policy, equitable pay, and access to affordable professional education for nurses and nurse practitioners. 1) Our health care environment is particularly brutal at this time in American history. Too many people lack access to care, and NPs are the ideal people to help remedy this situation. With our focus on holistic care and health education, plus America’s trust in the nursing profession, we can positively impact the health of our people by raising public awareness of the struggles suffered by the uninsured and their implications for the overall health of the nation. 2) While some insurances and organizations continue to disrespect NPs by reducing their reimbursement or refusing to honor their prescriptions, NPs continue to provide high quality care for people in all sorts of settings, particularly for rural and underserved populations. Our pay and reimbursement should reflect our creativity and dedication in bringing health care to the masses. 3) While our nation continues to need more nurses and nurse practitioners, nursing schools are turning away too many qualified candidates because of insufficient nursing faculty to meet the demand. I know many great NPs who would love to teach the next generation of nurses but cannot afford to do so because faculty salaries are unreasonably low in comparison to clinician salaries. Additionally, more mentoring is needed for new nurse practitioners beginning in practice. We need financial support for NP mentors, similar to the graduate medical education system (physician residencies), so that new NPs can increase their confidence and competence under the tutelage of clinicians who are compensated for their mentoring.

Your hopes for AUWS: I envision AUWS as the professional sisterhood and brotherhood to which NPs are proud to belong, and through which they advocate for each other and our fellow Americans. I am grateful for the work of AUWS and our visionary NP forebears who have worked to enhance our profession and our favorable Nurse Practice Act, and who continue to expand the vision of what NPs can accomplish.