Final Note

It should be clear that having excellent clinical skills is not sufficient for APNs to have a safe and successful career.  Like it or not, APNs must be conversant in the legal, business, and financial aspects of their profession.  While possessing such a wide spectrum of knowledge is daunting, there are resources available to APNs to obtain and maintain such information.  Every APN should belong to at least one state and national organization that is geared specifically to the interests and professional needs of APNs. State organizations focus on the laws and some issues that are specific to that state.  National organizations focus on federal laws and issues that cut across state lines.  There are many fine APN organizations to which one can belong, and many APNs belong to multiple organizations for their professional enrichment. However, if for financial reasons, an APN must restrict the number of organizations to which s/he can belong,it is vital to choose one organization that provides lobbying services to advocate in Washington, D.C., and another with similar services in state government. Examples of such organizations are as follows:

Illinois State APN Organization

Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing

www.isapn.org

866-464-5276 (866-GO-IL-APN)

National APN Organizations

American College of Nurse Practitioners

www.acnpweb.org

703-740-2529

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners’

www.aanp.org

512-442-4262