APRNs offer words of wisdom


By Janice Petrella Lynch, MSN, RN


Advanced practice nurses from around the country talk about the APRN role and how their practice has made a difference in the lives of patients and families. They share how they have grown and developed in the role as well DV LWV SURIHVVLRQDO DQG SHUVRQDO EHQH¿WV 7KH\ DOVR RIIHU YDOXDEOH ZRUGV RI ZLVGRP WR WKRVH ZKR DUH WKLQNLQJ DERXW joining the ranks of advanced practice nurses.


Amy Burgess APRN, CNM


Certified Nurse Midwife Rush-Copley Medical Group Aurora, Ill.


I love my role as an advanced practice nurse. I believe this is what I have always been called to do. I just didn’t always know it. I make a difference in the lives of women and their families by providing well women care, obstetric care and evidence-based birthing experiences.


Having the APRN designation has given me many advantages in nursing. I love being able to perform various nursing roles, some of which include education, providing care, research and administrative work and advocacy for women and their families. Having the APRN credential also allows me to function in different settings in a more autonomous and collaborative manner. My training and education have given me the knowledge, experience and credentials to provide current evidence-based obstetric and ongoing care to women and their families.


, UHÀHFW EDFN RQ P\ MRXUQH\ DQG , HQMR\HG HYHU\ WZLVW and turn, and each role I have had in nursing has greatly contributed to my skill level as an APRN, whether it be as a nurse in the medical/surgical unit, labor and delivery, forensics or the emergency department. There were certainly many challenges along the way but as nurses, we are passionate about what we do. If you want something more, go for it. It’s never too late!


Gail Probst MS, RN, ANP, AOCN, NE-BC


Director of Cancer Services Huntington (N.Y.) Hospital


To be allowed to enter into the lives of families at intimate moments and know you have


provided education, care and support that will impact them forever have made my role as a nurse practitioner in oncology enriching and rewarding.


I opened our facility’s oncology unit in 1989 and had the approval and autonomy to plan, organize and develop the many services the oncology unit provides. I developed inpatient and outpatient nursing services, support groups, screening services, survivorship and bereavement programs.


While educating staff about oncology nursing, I had the good fortune of seeing many of these nurses deliver amazing, knowledgeable and compassionate care. I have been rewarded by watching these same nurses grow and move into various roles as leaders in oncology and other nursing specialties. They have become nurse practitioners and clinical specialists working in the community, acute care and long-term care settings.


So many people I have met who have had or have cancer have shaped me into the nurse I am today. When I retire RQH GD\ , ZLOO EH H[WUHPHO\ VDWLV¿HG NQRZLQJ , PDGH D difference in our great profession by the care I delivered and the nurses I mentored and supported.


Aleksandra Zagorin DNP, RN, AGPCNP-BC


Geriatric Nurse Practitioner


Department of Medicine Division of Geriatrics Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, N.Y. Assistant Professor at Wagner College School of Nursing Staten Island, N.Y.


My passion for geriatrics has been growing over the years. To me, being an APRN in today’s healthcare is challenging yet inspiring and rewarding, and it brings great satisfaction. I provide primary care to the homebound elderly, diagnosing acute medical issues, treating acute


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