ADVANCED PRACTICE NEWSLETTER
December 2020
Ivette Becerra-Ortiz, DNP, NEA-BC, CPNP-PC Associate Chief of Advanced Practice &
Shelley Gierat, CRNA Chair of APP Advisory Board Communications Committee
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CELEBRATING
NURSE PRACTITIONERS
NURSE ANESTHETISTS
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
NURSE MIDWIVES 
UCSF Health
Advanced Practice Providers
Recognition Week
December 7-11, 2020
Happy Advanced Practice Provider week at UCSF Health
to all Advanced Practice Providers! 

December 7-11 is a time to celebrate the well over 550 Advanced Practice Providers who provide exceptional care for our patients at UCSF Health. Advanced Practice Providers are a group of healthcare professionals that include Physician Assistants, Certified Nurse Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. 
 
Advanced Practice Providers work in all areas of healthcare and can evaluate, diagnose, develop and implement treatment plans for acute and chronic conditions, teach and do research. They have completed graduate level education such as a master’s and/or a doctoral degrees. All Advanced Practice Providers in California are licensed by State regulatory agencies, and have an expanded scope of practice. At UCSF Health Advanced Practice Providers are also Nationally Board Certified in their area of expertise. Advanced Practice Provider's high-quality, patient-centered care provides access to healthcare services and continuity for our patients and their families. 

We are deeply grateful for the dedication, compassion and commitment to exceptional clinical care from all of our Advanced Practice Providers in every area of UCSF Health.
THANK YOU for all you do for our patients and their families. 
Join us in celebrating a vital presence in UCSF Medical Center’s health care team: our PAs!  National PA Week is celebrated each year from October 6 – 12th to recognize the significant impact PAs make in health care and to expand awareness of this profession. 
 
PAs undergo intensive medical education and training. The average postgraduate program lasts 27 months (3 academic years) and includes 2,000 hours of clinical rotations. Graduates must pass the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) licensing exam to practice and must maintain certification by earning 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every two years. Additionally, PAs must pass the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination every tenth year to be able to stay in practice.

PAs provide high-quality medical care. They obtain health histories, examine patients, perform procedures, order and interpret diagnostic tests, diagnose and recommend treatment plans. PAs can prescribe medications, assist in surgery, and lead research. PAs do all of this within their scope of practice which is determined by their employer and state regulations.

Watch these short videos for an overview of what PAs can do for you!


National Nurse Practitioner Week, from November 8-14 2020, is a time to recognize the exceptional clinical care, along with dedication, advocacy, and commitment provided by Nurse Practitioners who care for patients in Primary Care, Outpatient Specialties, Acute Care, and Critical Care. A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse who has completed graduate level education such as a master’s or a doctoral degree.
 
All NPs in California are registered nurses licensed by the California Board of Registered Nursing who have completed additional education and training, and have an expanded scope of practice. All NPs at UCSF are also Nationally Board Certified in their area of expertise. Nationally, more than 290,000 NPs provide high-quality health care, with a more than 50-year record of improving patients’ health outcomes and access to care. As a result, it’s no surprise millions of patients choose NPs in more than 1 billion visits each year throughout the US.
 
Components of practice include: diagnosing, treating, evaluating and managing acute and chronic illness and disease; obtaining medical histories and conducting physical examinations; ordering, performing and interpreting diagnostic studies; prescribing and furnishing medications; providing primary, specialty and health maintenance care for children and adults and educating patients on treatment options and health care prevention.
 
Watch this short video to see why patient’s select NPs as their provider!


Celebrate National CRNA Week:
January 24-30, 2021
National CRNA Week is the AANA’s annual celebration of anesthesia patient safety and the nation’s over 57,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and student registered nurse anesthetists who safely and cost-effectively provide more than 49 million anesthetics each year.

History of CRNA Profession:

Nurse anesthetists have been the backbone of anesthesia delivery in the United States since the American Civil War. The first U.S. healthcare providers to specialize in anesthesiology, these pioneering nurses introduced a grateful public to a world of previously unimagined healthcare possibilities. Since the late 1800s, anesthesiology has been recognized as the practice of nursing For a timeline of nurse anesthesia history, see https://www.aana.com/history.

Education of Nurse Anesthetists in the United States - At a Glance
The minimum education and experience required to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) include:
· A baccalaureate or graduate degree in nursing or other appropriate major.
· An unencumbered license as a registered professional nurse and/or APRN in the United States or its territories.
· A minimum of one-year full-time work experience, or its part-time equivalent, as a registered nurse in a critical care setting. The average experience of RNs entering nurse anesthesia educational programs is 2.9 years.
· Graduation with a minimum of a master’s degree from a nurse anesthesia educational program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).
·  Nurse anesthesia programs range from 24-51 months, depending on university requirements. Programs include clinical settings and experiences. Graduates of nurse anesthesia educational programs have an average of 9,369 hours of clinical experience.
·  It takes a minimum of 7-8.5 calendar years of education and experience to prepare a CRNA.

National Midwifery Week is held Sunday to Saturday, during the first full week of October.
Midwives are best known for providing individualized care to pregnant and postpartum women. They provide prenatal care and attend the labor and delivery for women with uncomplicated pregnancies. They can also provide primary health care services for women from adolescence beyond menopause including primary care, gynecologic and family planning services, and preconception care. Midwives work in partnership with women and families in many different settings like clinics, homes, hospitals and birth centers.

The UCSF midwives are all Certified Nurse Midwives, meaning that they have a master's degree in Nursing and are certified by a national board. Midwives attend approximately 80% of the vaginal births at UCSF and are responsible for teaching normal labor and birth to residents in Obstetrics and Emergency Medicine and midwifery and medical students.

Midwifery is a calling and the UCSF midwives have a long history of providing maternity care and medical education. 

Please watch the video about Midwives:

EXCEPTIONAL
ADVANCED PRACTICE PROVIDER
AWARDEES 2020
Rob Wallace, NP, CWON
Nurse Practitioner 
Plastic, Reconstructive, and Hand Surgery - UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Rob Wallace is a nurse practitioner with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland’s Pediatric Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Nursing, he joined the Peace Corps and volunteered in Nepal teaching its version of physician assistants. Returning to the U.S., Rob worked as an emergency room nurse at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland until returning to graduate school at UC Davis. He earned a physician assistant certificate and family nurse practitioner certificate and Master’s in Nursing from Sacramento State. He worked as an emergency room PA until accepting a position with Pediatric General and Trauma Surgery at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in 2012. He joined Pediatric Plastic, Reconstructive, and Hand Surgery in 2019. 
Alisa M. Yee, NP
Nurse Practitioner 
Gastrointestinal Surgery Oncology

Alisa Yee is a nurse practitioner who cares for patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal cancers. Yee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in genetics at the University of California, Davis. At UCSF, she earned a Master of Science degree in nursing and a nurse practitioner certificate in acute care. She also conducted postgraduate research at UCSF. In addition to working in UCSF's clinics, she has cared for patients in the hospital, including the intensive care units. In 2010, Yee was honored with the UCSF Medical Center PRIDE Award.
Nancy Shepard Lopez, NP
Nurse Practitioner 
Symptom Management Service, HDFCCC

Nancy Shepard Lopez is a nurse practitioner who specializes in oncology, including care for patients with solid tumors and blood cancers. As a member of a symptom management team, she also works on addressing pain and quality-of-life issues. Lopez received a bachelor's degree in nursing from St. Olaf College and a master's degree in oncology nursing from UCSF. Lopez is an active member of the Oncology Nursing Society, having served as president of the local chapter, presented at national meetings and participated in developing the society's guidelines on managing anorexia.
Angela Laffan, NP
Nurse Practitioner 
Gastrointestinal Oncology
Assistant Director, Gastrointestinal Oncology Survivorship Program

Angela Laffan is a nurse practitioner who uses a holistic approach to help patients manage symptoms of gastrointestinal cancer and side effects of its treatments. She also educates patients on how to improve their health and quality of life, and how to reduce their risk of cancer recurrence. She has more than 25 years of experience in oncology nursing. Laffan earned her master's degree from UCSF's adult-gerontology nurse practitioner program, with a subspecialty in integrative medicine. She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society.
NOMINEES
FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL APP AWARDS 2020
Amber Burke-Cravens, NP--Radiology
Andrea Pedersen, NP --Endocrinology Child & Adolescent Gender Center Oakland
Bennett Lareau-Meredith, NP--Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Cana Jenkins NP--Emergency
Ching Ching Yang, NP--Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Benioff Children's Hospital
Christian McNeill, PA--Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
Christine Garvey, NP--Pulmonary, Sleep and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Eve Rorison, NP--Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of General Surgery
Florence Yuen, NP--Radiation Oncology
Jacquelyn Gould, NP--Surgery Faculty Practice, General Surgery
Kristina Kordesch, NP--Critical Care
Legina Garrett, NP--Surgery
Leigh-Ann Langford, CRNA--Anesthesia
Mary Kate Klarich, NP--Surgery
Meredith Russel, NP--Pediatric Endocrinology
Michelle Klosterman, NP--Pediatrics Gastrology, Hepatology,& Nutrition
Monifa Willis, NP--UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Psychiatry
Natalia Dematteo, NP--Inpatient GYN-Oncology Surgery Service
Nhu Tran, NP--General Surgery
Patricia Malone, NP--Cardiology
Rebekah Manno NP--Psychiatry
Roseanne Krauter, NP--Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Sarah Zhang, CRNA--Anesthesiology
Tara Valcarcel, NP--Pediatric Rheumotology
Tia Watson, NP--Adult Urology
You are cordially invited to attend the
2020 Exceptional Advanced Practice Provider Virtual Awards Ceremony!
Wednesday, December 9th  at 6:00 pm
Click here to watch the live premiere.
If you would like to receive an Outlook calendar reminder with the premiere link and details, please register here.
Advanced Practice Provider Advisory Board
Organizational Chart
UCSF HEALTH ADVANCED PRACTICE WEBSITE
The UCSF Health Office of Advanced Practice Academic Stipend

15 Academic stipends are offered each fiscal year to offset the cost of APPs presenting at a conference in their specialty. Podium/poster/panel presentations will be eligible. Other requirements listed in link below.
SOME ARTICLES ARE RELEVANT TO ADVANCED PRACTICE. YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE IF YOU WISH.
For more information, contact
Ivette Becerra-Ortiz, DNP, NEA-BC, CPNP-PC
Associate Chief of Advanced Practice
ALL APP STUDENTS AT UCSF HEALTH FACILITIES
All preceptors are required to ensure all students from ALL educational institutions have been vetted by UCSF prior to any educational activities, including employees. UCSF has many parts of the organization involved in this process. Their school needs an affiliation agreement with UCSF, they need health screening to be completed, they require online training for Health and Safety and APEX, and sign a HIPPA form.
WANT TO SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE WITH APP COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE STATE, THE NATION, OR THE WORLD?
RESOURCES

If you want to reach the office of Advanced Practice email us at: advancedpractice@ucsf.edu

Email Aletta for the website

Email Ivette

I am here to support and advocate for APP's
Senior Operations Analyst
Associate Chief of Advanced Practice Providers