{"id":4577,"date":"2023-12-01T17:15:49","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T22:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/?p=4577"},"modified":"2025-01-28T09:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T14:18:10","slug":"the-nurse-practitioners-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/2023\/12\/the-nurse-practitioners-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nurse Practitioner\u2019s Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"
Nurses have a friend and advocate in associate professor Mary Ellen Roberts.<\/div><\/div>\n

By Amanda Loudin<\/p>\n

Nurses are the nation\u2019s caregivers, but there aren\u2019t enough of them. The shortfall nationwide could reach 450,000 by 2025, according to a recent McKinsey report, a situation the consulting firm deemed \u201cdire.\u201d Mary Ellen Roberts, associate professor in the College of Nursing and chair of the graduate nursing department, is determined to help change the equation.<\/p>\n

Roberts already has had an indelible impact on growing the profession, particularly the number of nurse practitioners \u2014 nurses who function at an advanced level and often serve as primary-care providers. In June, she received the 2023 Legacy Award from the Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, which honors members who have made a profound and lasting impact on the profession.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealthcare systems must look at the shortage and chaos of the current nurse-to-patient ratio and understand its impact,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWhen the ratio isn\u2019t what it should be, you aren\u2019t going to keep people at the bedside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts\u2019 30-year career has been a story of advocacy and leadership. Combining clinical, academic and legislative experience, she has served her profession in many ways.<\/p>\n

Elevating the profession<\/strong>
\nBeginning in 1974 as a licensed practical nurse, Roberts worked her way up the nursing ladder, eventually receiving a doctorate from the University of Iowa in 2011. She received a master\u2019s of science degree in nursing and a master\u2019s degree in nursing education from Seton Hall in 1990, which allowed her to sit for her exams and become a nurse practitioner.<\/p>\n

After working for more than 20 years in a cardiology practice, Roberts returned to Seton Hall as director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs. \u201cI was asked to revive the curriculum for the programs and make it more appealing,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve been able to successfully grow them both.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time she took over, Roberts had just two students in each of the two programs. Today, the Acute Care program has 70 students enrolled and the DNP program has graduated almost 60 students in the past decade. \u201cThe academic side of my career is appealing because it allows me to get creative in training the future generation of nurse practitioners,\u201d she said. \u201cI find that invigorating and satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts also has helped develop standards of practice and worked on related legislation. She now is working to make New Jersey the 28th state to give nurse practitioners \u201cfull practice authority,\u201d meaning they could care for patients without physician oversight.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur governor suspended the need for physician collaboration during the COVID emergency,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe demonstrated it worked, so it\u2019s time to make it permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts has also contributed research, the latest focusing on the impact of the pandemic on nurse practitioners and patients. \u201cA colleague and I decided we needed to know what the lived experience was for patients who survived,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe performed a qualitative study of patients who experienced the first wave of COVID. They all stated they were lonely, isolated and needed more support than they received.\u201d<\/p>\n

In looking into the registered nurse experience during the pandemic, Roberts discovered that many experienced post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of providing care. \u201cMany stated they would leave the field if they ever had to experience another pandemic,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cSome have already left the profession, and others are contemplating it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That final point is why Roberts is determined to shepherd in the next component of nursing education. \u201cSchools need to teach nurses self-care and resilience,\u201d she said, \u201cand we also need the medical system to care for nurses. Otherwise, we\u2019re not going to keep people in the profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo by Michael Paras<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Amanda Loudin Nurses are the nation\u2019s caregivers, but there aren\u2019t enough of them. The shortfall nationwide could reach 450,000 by 2025, according to a recent McKinsey report, a situation the consulting firm deemed \u201cdire.\u201d Mary Ellen Roberts, associate professor in the College of Nursing and chair of the graduate nursing department, is determined to…<\/p>\n

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