Celebrating the "Many Faces of Advanced Practice Registered Nursing"
Photo-story exhibit at UMHS brings life and form to evidence-based, compassionate care.
If you were asked to find a visual way to thank and enhance public appreciation for a group of hard-working people, you wouldn’t likely come up with a better solution than the portrait-based storyboards now on display in the Gifts of Art Gallery in the main corridor of the second floor of University of Michigan Hospital.The exhibit, entitled “Many Faces of Advanced Practice Registered Nursing,” brings to life the voices of many APRNs working within the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS), explains Laurie Hartman, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC, Clinical Assistant Professor at U-M School of Nursing and Director of Advanced Practice Nursing at UMHS.
Dr. Hartman worked collaboratively with UMHS Gifts of Art to plan and produce the exhibit, which is on display through Dec. 10. Support was also provided by UMHS Nursing Services and its Chief Nursing Officer, Marge Calarco, PhD, RN, who is an adjunct professor at U-M School of Nursing.
“More than 450 APRNs at UMHS provide evidence-based, compassionate care to patients across the lifespan, from infants to geriatric patients,” said Dr. Hartman, by way of introducing the photo-stories on display. Showcased are the four distinct aspects of the APRN role: the nurse practitioner, the nurse anesthetist, the nurse-midwife and the clinical nurse specialist. Personal and professional stories highlighting experiences with patients and thoughts about their profession are embedded within each of the 15 images.
Dr. Hartman points to the wide range of health care services that APRNs deliver to people of all ages, which include
- diagnosis and management of common and complex medical conditions
- the application of advanced nursing assessment and interventions
- prescribing medications
- ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests
APRNs’ contributions to improving health outcomes, guiding policy, and streamlining health care delivery was celebrated during 2012 National Advanced Practice Nursing Week, Nov. 11-17. And they are valued, supported, and sustained every day at the U-M School of Nursing and the U-M Health System.
Read one story from certified registered nurse anesthetist Laura Wetzel (pdf). View a photo-story from the exhibit below.
