Nurse Practitioner Association Elects New President

Feb. 27, 2011 - PRLog -- The Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island recently announced that Diane J. Bartscherer, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, has been elected president for 2011.

Based in Hauppauge, NY, the Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island (NPALI) is a chapter of the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State.  NPALI was formed in 1980, and works in concert with the state organization for the purpose of uniting, representing, and advocating for the profession.

Dr. Bartscherer has nearly 30 years of experience as a healthcare provider.  Presently, she is a tobacco cessation specialist with the North Shore-LIJ Health System Center for Tobacco Control, spearheading the development and implementation of smoking cessation programs in hospitals, clinics, and health care provider offices throughout Long Island.   This work is funded by a grant from the NY State Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program. She also provides counseling and treatment, including facilitating individual counseling, group classes and support groups for the community, as well as targeted interventions for various groups including mentally-ill and oncology patients.  Her other responsibilities include in-hospital consultations to evaluate and treat hospitalized tobacco users; development of educational programs  about tobacco dependence treatment for nursing and medical staff; and tobacco related clinical research initiatives.

Dr. Bartscherer started her nursing  career in 1983 at South Nassau Communities Hospital, where she was as a nurse in the emergency services department, associate nursing care coordinator of the Coronary Care Unit, and staff nurse in the Intensive Care Unit and Medicine/Surgery Unit.  In addition, she worked for Caremark Homecare, a Division of Baxter International, located in Plainview, NY, in 1990 and St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, NY, in 1990-92, . In 1993 -2004 she worked as a Specialist in Poison Information at the Long Island Regional Poison Control Center at Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY.   Upon completion of the Adult NP Program at Molloy College in 1998 she practiced as an adult nurse practitioner with South Nassau Internal Medicine Associates, Freeport, NY for 5 years.  During that time she also served as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, NY . In 2003 she joined NS-LIJ as a Nurse Practitioner in Department of Medicine at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY. Dr. Bartscherer completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western University, in Cleveland OH in 2009.

Active in clinical research and publishing, Dr. Bartscherer has co-authored numerous papers, abstracts and presentations on smoking cessation and tobacco addiction.  Chair of the New York State Tobacco Education Task Force, Dr. Bartscherer’s leadership and knowledge are vital to this committee, working to assure that the evidence based guideline for treating tobacco use and dependence is integrated into medical and nursing schools curricula. Dr. Bartscherer also is a member  of various committees including the New York State Tobacco Control Program’s  CME Performance Improvement Project, the New York State Tobacco Control Program Strategic Planning Committee and the Multi State Collaborative on Health Systems Change to Address Tobacco Use. In addition, she is an active member of many prestigious and leading professional organizations including the, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Nurse Practitioners, The Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence and the Emergency Nurses Association.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who are prepared, through advanced education and clinical training, to provide a wide range of preventive and acute health care services to individuals of all ages.  NPs complete graduate-level education preparation that leads to a master’s degree. NPs take health histories and provide complete physical examinations; diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic problems; interpret laboratory results and X-rays; prescribe and manage medications and other therapies; provide health teaching and supportive counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness and health maintenance; and refer patients to other health professionals as needed.  NPs are authorized to practice across the nation and have prescriptive privileges, of varying degrees, in 49 states. The most recent Health Resources and Services Administration Sample Survey report (2008) shows 158,348 Nurse Practitioners in the United States, an increase of more than 12 percent over 2004 data.

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NPALI is a chapter of the Nurse Practitioner Association of NYS. NPALI was formed in 1980, and works in concert with the state organization for the purpose of uniting, representing, and advocating for the profession.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who are prepared, through advanced education and clinical training, to provide a wide range of preventive and acute health care services to individuals of all ages. NPs complete graduate-level education preparation that leads to a master’s degree. NPs take health histories and provide complete physical examinations; diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic problems; interpret laboratory results and X-rays; prescribe and manage medications and other therapies; provide health teaching and supportive counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness and health maintenance; and refer patients to other health professionals as needed. NPs are authorized to practice across the nation.