Honor nurse practitioners this week

This week marks National Nurse Practitioner Week.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have completed advanced education (a master’s degree or a doctoral program) and more training to diagnose and manage common medical conditions, including chronic illness.

They provide much of the same care as primary care physicians and collaborate with researchers, consultants and patient advocates to provide primary, acute and chronic care to patients of all ages and walks of life.

Danville has more than 25 nurse practitioners providing comprehensive care to people in the region. They practice in emergency medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, mental health, cardiology, oncology, pulmonary and otolaryngology offices, according to the Central Region of the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners.

More than 176 nurse practitioners from Danville, Lynchburg, Amherst, Gret-na, Halifax, South Boston, Martinsville and surrounding counties make up the council’s central region.

About 5,800 nurse practitioners help make up the health care shortage in Virginia, according to a news release from the council.

To locate an NP in your area, visit http://www.vcnp.net.