State Liaison Candidate
Campaign Message
My commitment to advancing the Nurse Practitioner profession is rooted in a passion for high-quality, equitable healthcare in Mississippi and nationwide. My background aligns directly with the strategic goals of AANP, especially in fostering a collaborative environment to achieve full practice authority. I have a proven ability to increase engagement and public awareness, and I am dedicated to increasing access to care and securing fair compensation. I am prepared to leverage my expertise to strengthen AANP's influence, expand its resources, and ensure it remains the leading voice for NPs, driving positive change for both providers and patients. I am ready to champion these objectives; work to bridge gaps in knowledge, policy, and practice; and forge strong alliances that elevate the entire profession. AANP is an organization that not only supports its members but also shapes the future of healthcare for the benefit of all.
Bio Sketch
Dr. Rebecca Graves is associate professor and director of special projects and evaluation at the University of South Alabama (USA) College of Nursing and a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She is a nurse scientist, a family nurse practitioner, and nursing faculty. She has served AANP as a co-chair of the Obesity Community since 2021 and is a new member of the JAANP Editorial Board. She completed her BSN and MSN at USA and her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She completed fellowships through American Association of Colleges of Nursing Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing and through Gulf States Health Policy Center Community Research. She helped bring culinary medicine to USA and conducted culinary medicine classes for students. She led an interprofessional research team studying health promotion and prevention and treatment of obesity in vulnerable populations. She worked with a community partner to examine experiences of low-income senior citizens with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. She received the USA College of Nursing Excellence in Scholarship Award in 2022. Dr. Graves loves spending time with her family, friends, and pets and enjoys camping, fishing, hiking, and being outdoors and on the water.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing NPs in the delivery of health care over the next decade? How should AANP address this issue to support NPs and the populations they serve?
The biggest challenge facing nurse practitioner (NP) delivery of healthcare currently and in the foreseeable future is restriction on full practice authority (FPA) in the final 25 states with reduced or restricted practice for NPs. States working to get FPA passed through their legislatures frequently encounter impediments such as a designated number of supervised hours before FPA is granted and institutional obstacles within healthcare systems and financial reimbursement. AANP can continue to work closely with state NP associations and boards of nursing to educate the public, including patients (voters), legislators and representatives from health systems, insurance providers, and the media.
Describe, in detail, leadership and other professional skills that you will bring to AANP and provide at least one initiative or outcome that occurred because of these skills.
I have robust organizational and analytical skills and can see the big picture but still pay attention to detail. I have substantial experience in scientific writing, and communication is a strength. I have experience in leadership within national, state, and local NP organizations. Before I became president of the Bay Area Nurse Practitioner Association, membership had fallen to approximately 25 NPs, and there was discussion of merging with a Physicians Assistant professional organization. This inspired me to run for president to maintain the advocacy of NPs due to our unique strengths and challenges. During my presidency, I grew the membership
Identify one major challenge that could impact your ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the position you are seeking. How do you plan to manage this challenge to be successful?
I anticipate that a major challenge of this role could be strategic alignment between Mississippi NP leadership and AANP to improve patient care to Mississippians. My goal to mitigate this challenge is to leverage the expertise of AANP by accessing available resources and establishing clear communication with and between both AANP and Mississippi NP leaders. I enjoy operating with a cooperative approach and envision facilitating interaction through a partnership between state and national leaders to arrive at a consensus on the best courses of action to meet the needs of NPs in Mississippi.
AANP’s mission is to empower all NPs to advance accessible, person-centered, equitable, high-quality health care for diverse communities through practice, education, advocacy, research, and leadership. If elected, how do you propose to advance AANP's mission and strategic plan?
I will educate Mississippi NPs on effective methods of advocating for their profession to improve health care. I will also work to educate the public on the value of NP-provided health care through grass roots efforts. I will collect data on the benefits of NP-care to support lobbying efforts with Mississippi legislature and encourage other NPs to do the same. I will collaborate between AANP and Mississippi NPs to develop plans to address barriers, sharing leadership and increasing accountability. I will work to recruit more Mississippi NPs into AANP to increase the pillars of support and synthesis of professional goals.