Rutgers Nursing Magazine - Summer 2021

R U T G E R S N U R S I N G / S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 1 6 / 1 7 Angela Otto-Ryan, Nora Ryan, and Margaret Quinn. school nurse and a pediatric surgical nurse before enrolling in the PNP program, the program’s focus on what she calls “the big- ger picture” was revelatory. In her previous positions, she says, “there was always such a large emphasis on fixing the problem in front of you.” The PNP program, on the other hand, “was all about prevention and educating patients’ families and promot- ing health.” “The focus of a primary care PNP,” says Quinn, “is the outpa- tient setting: schools, community centers, doctors’ offices, clin- ics.” The new dual program, she notes, “will open up a whole variety of additional experiences, like inpatient, emergency room, urgent care, and surgical, and it’s also a great crossover for those NPs who want to specialize in areas like cardiology or pulmonology.” All four programs will prepare students for a changing pedi- atrics landscape. Today, for instance, 26.6 percent of children suffer from chronic health conditions like asthma, obesity, and ADHD—an increase of more than 100 percent from 12.8 in 1994. On the other hand, fewer children are being treated in hospitals, and the trend toward home care—which requires parent educa- tion and dedicated practitioner follow-up—calls for exactly the kind of skills PNPs are trained in. When Otto-Ryan starts her next job, wherever it may be, she’ll relish the opportunity, she says, to work closely with patients and their families in just this way—to head off the development of chronic conditions and, in her words, “to help children off to a healthy life.” It’s what Quinn, a PNP herself, has dedicated her career to. “If we have healthy children,” she stresses, “we’ll have a healthy future.” n