Press Releases and Letters to the Editor
#NPWEEK | November 10-16, 2024
Sample Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [Your Name]
[Your Email Address]
[Your Telephone Number]
This NP Week, Recognize the Providers at the Heart of Health Care
2024 National Nurse Practitioner Week is Celebrated November 10-16
CITY, STATE (Date) — In 1965, Drs. Loretta Ford and Henry Silver developed the first nurse practitioner (NP) program. Almost sixty years later, more than 385,000 licensed NPs are practicing in the U.S. The NP role is steadily growing, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 46% increase in the number of NPs by 2031.
The rise in the number of NPs practicing across specialties could not come at a better time, as nearly 100 million Americans currently live in primary care shortage areas. Fortunately, the growth in the NP role and the passage of legislation to provide patients with full and direct access to NPs’ services — including Full Practice Authority (FPA) — are two solutions to increase patient access to high-quality health care.
To honor the health care providers at the heart of our communities all over the U.S., [your city] is recognizing the critical role of NPs as part of the annual National Nurse Practitioner Week (NP Week) celebration, held November 10-16 this year.
NP Week recognizes the positive impact NPs make in the lives of patients through more than 1 billion annual visits. These health care professionals practice in clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centers, nursing homes and private practices across the country — wherever patients are in need.
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Preparing a Persuasive Letter to the Editor
A letter to the editor is one way that the wider public can hear from you, an NP expert, about the important and person-centered work NPs do every day. Read on for some do’s and don'ts to keep in mind when composing a letter to the editor.
Identify Yourself
Be as detailed as you are comfortable with being. Information about where you live, the population you serve and your specialties will help readers to identify with your work, your background and will best set the scene for the information you wish to present.
Be Relevant
Mentioning the history of nursing or of the NP role may be beneficial to give your readers important context, but it’s important not to get sidetracked by details that may make sense to you but may confuse the reader. The past is important, but the present and future are what make the piece notable and fresh.
Get to the Point
Avoid repetition, referencing too much outside material or making tangential asides. Your letter should be as self-contained as possible — give your reader all of the information they need about what NPs do and why NP Week should be celebrated.
Be Factually Correct
Much of what you want to say about the NP role may be related to your own practice, education and experience, but other important information about NPs and statistics around health care should be rigorously fact-checked. One of the best resources providing factual information relevant to health care and to the NP role is AANP’s website. Click on the magnifying glass in the top right corner of the aanp.org homepage and search for statistics, topics and more.
Don’t Stress
It can be challenging deciding how to best communicate an important message to a wide audience. Creating an outline listing the subjects you want to cover and charting the beginning, middle and end of your letter may help you keep organized. But most of all, remember that this is about your perspective and your voice. Think about the patients you have served, the challenges surmounted and much more — the writing will flow from there.