Dear Colleagues,
The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) strives to continuously improve the accessibility and quality of healthcare for women. This improvement is accomplished by promoting innovation and excellence in continuing education and professional development; leadership in policy, practice, and research areas; and support and services for our members. Achieving all these goals is our organization’s vision.
If you are a women’s health nurse practitioner (WHNP), I urge you to help NPWH learn more about you and your professional role so that we can realize this vision. In particular, I ask you to consider participating in the 2018 NPWH WHNP Workforce Demographics and Compensation Survey. To assist you in deciding whether to participate in this survey, I have answered some questions you might have.
How is this survey being conducted?
This survey is being conducted by NPWH. The National Certification Corporation (NCC) is providing assistance in distributing the survey to all nationally certified WHNPs. NPWH is the national organization representing WHNPs. NCC is the national certification body for WHNPs.
Why is this survey important to WHNPs?
NPWH strives to support and advocate for WHNPs so that their role is fully appreciated and that it thrives into the future. Having detailed demographic information is especially important to fully understand who today’s WHNPs are, where these WHNPs work, what they do, and which populations they serve. It is also crucial for the future of the WHNP role to have information about compensation/ benefits and employment/role satisfaction specific to WHNPs so that NPWH can advocate for both fair compensation and favorable working environments. Finally, we seek information about the role of the WHNP as a preceptor for future generations of WHNPs.
Why should I participate in this survey?
Success of this survey depends on a high response rate from WHNPs so that we can gather as much information as possible in order to draw as many conclusions as possible and to make as many reasonable recommendations as possible. At the beginning of the survey, you will be asked a few preliminary questions to see if you qualify to complete the entire survey. Once you have completed the preliminary questions, if you qualify, you will have access to the remainder of the survey. The survey is fully voluntary; there is no penalty for not participating and no penalty for opting to skip answering any specific questions.
How does this workforce survey differ from other NP workforce surveys?
In the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) 2017 national NP survey overview, it was reported that there are more than 222,000 licensed NPs in the United States, with the majority certified as family nurse practitioners (FNPs).1 A random sample of 47,540 NPs was used for the AANP survey. Among the 6,784 respondents, 60.6% were FNPs. Data were presented on compensation and benefits for respondents working fulltime. Of the 4,344 full-time primary care NP respondents, 2,964 (68.2%) were FNPs and 957 (22.0%) were adult or adult-gerontology NPs. Of those 4,344 full-time primary care NP respondents, only 137 (2.7%) were WHNPs.1 Because the WHNP participation rate was quite small, it may not have been representative. A survey focused on WHNPs would allow for better representation and a more complete picture of the demographics and employment characteristics of this important group of NPs.
Who will see the information I provide on the survey?
First, the survey is anonymous. No individual identifying information will be collected. All responses will be reported only at the aggregate level. NPWH will use the data internally to guide development of support and services for WHNPs. The data also will be shared through a variety of venues with other stakeholders to include our membership, faculty and directors for WHNP programs, current WHNP students, prospective WHNP students, NCC, other NP organizations, and relevant policy makers. NPWH hopes to have a robust response to the survey to make the data meaningful and useful—for all of us.
All certified WHNPs should receive an email from NCC with an invitation and link to the NPWH WHNP Workforce Demographics and Compensation Survey by the end of September. If you do not receive your invitation by September 30, 2018, please contact Julia Knox at jknox@npwh.org so that she can send it to you.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important survey.
Beth Kelsey, EdD, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP
Reference
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners. 2017 National Nurse Practitioner Sample Survey: An Overview. Austin, TX: American Association of Nurse Practitioners; March 2018.