NP Pulse: The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner (AANP‪)‬ American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)

To speak about the environmental and occupational health of veterans from an NP’s perspective, NP Pulse is proud to welcome Lt. Cashmere “Cash” Miller, a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer working in the Atlanta VA Health Care System. With host Sophia Thomas, Miller discusses toxic substances, from burn pit particles to Agent Orange, that veterans may have been exposed to while serving. Miller also shares what the PACT Act — an expansion of VA health care for veterans exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military — means to affected patients and their NPs. Finally, Thomas and Miller talk about the importance of whole-person care, and why NPs are crucial to providing the best health care possible to veterans.

Many of us have questions after we step on a scale and see how much we weigh. How closely does that number correlate to our overall health? What is the best way, as nurse practitioners, to talk about weight with patients by emphasizing the positives of exercise and diet without reinforcing obesity bias?
Today’s guest on NP Pulse, AANP’s new Vice President of Professional Practice Dr. Johnnie Sue Wijewardane, walks us through her personal weight loss journey and discusses the pros and cons of surgery, the very topical GLP-1s and even a fascinating aside into yo-yo trends like the “cabbage diet.” With her combination of expert analysis and trademark openness, Wijewardane guides us through the minefield of weight loss over-information into useful takeaways for both nurse practitioners and patients.
For more resources on treating obesity and talking with patients about weight loss, visit aanp.org to find newsfeed articles and CE courses related to the topic. 

Prescribing and deprescribing for the geriatric population can be complex. In this podcast, NP experts Drs. Shantha Franks and Audrey Stevenson will review the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of aging, discuss inappropriate prescribing and the American Geriatrics Society Beer's Criteria, and walk you through the process of deprescribing with use of a case study.
To earn 0.9 contact hours of continuing education (CE) credit, all of which is Rx credit, you will need the participation code provided at the end of the podcast. To claim your CE credit, log in and register for the activity within the AANP CE Center, then enter the participation code and complete the post-test and evaluation. CE credit is available for this podcast through March 2025.
Resources
https://deprescribing.org/resources/
https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/deprescribing-patient-safety-strategy

Rare Disease Day is observed on the last day of February every year. Did you know that there are over 7,000 rare diseases affecting more than 30 million people in the United States? Every nurse practitioner will encounter patients and families affected by rare disease in their practices. On today’s podcast we are joined by NP experts Dr. Stephanie Hosley and Alicia Turner who will discuss the burden and impact of rare disease and provide resources for the NP to provide best care for patients/families affected by rare disease.
To earn 0.9 contact hours of continuing education (CE) credit, you will need the participation code provided at the end of the podcast. To claim your CE credit, log in and register for the activity within the AANP CE Center, then enter the participation code and complete the post-test and evaluation. CE credit is available for this podcast through February 2025.
Resources
NIH Genetic and Rare Disease Information Center
NORD Patient Assistance Programs
Rare Diseases at FDA
Clinical Trials Look-up

In this episode, Drs. Midge Bowers and Leslie Davis review the four pillars of therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. They outline the role of the NP in reducing the high morbidity and mortality rates by ensuring their patients with HFeRF are offered the latest guideline-recommended treatments.
To claim 1.0 contact hours of CE with 1.0 RX for this activity go to: Four Pillars of Medications for Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFeRF) (inreachce.com), enter the participation code provided at the end of the podcast and complete the posttest and evaluation.
Additional Downloadable Resources:
Heart_Failure_Provider_Resource.pdf (aanp.org)
Download this episode's transcript here.

Nurse Practitioners Dr. Tulay Cakiner-Egilmez and Dr. Audrey Stevenson discuss the recognition of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in primary care and the role of the NP along with the recommended treatments and tips to engage patients in the management of their AMD.
 
Go here to claim CE credit for this activity: Reducing the Burden of AMD: What Primary Care NPs Can Do (inreachce.com)
Use this link Optimizing Care of Patients with AMD: From Recognition to Treatment (inreachce.com) to take a 1.25 hour CE with 0.5 Rx audiovisual with interactive case studies activity to further your knowledge of AMD recognition and treatment.
 
Download this episode's transcript here.