From November 13 to the 19th, we celebrate National Nurse Practitioner week. With a spotlight on the over 355,000 licensed NP’s in the U.S., this week brings an opportunity to highlight not only practicing NP’s but those who train them as well.
With this opportunity, we want to shine a light on some of Concordia’s incredible NP faculty. Today we talked to Julie Parve DNP, FNP-BC, APNP who is the Director of Graduate Nursing and an Associate Professor at Concordia. Let’s learn about her role at Concordia and her background as a Nurse Practioner.
What is your educational and career background?
I’m a Family Nurse Practitioner and have my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. My experience as an NP has been in Urgent Care and Family Medicine. Before I became an NP I spent 16 years in surgery, 5 years in Labor and Delivery/Newborn Nursery, and several years in an outpatient clinic. I have also been on 15+ mission trips to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, India, Peru, Mexico, and Nicaragua, and frequently take NP students with me (as part of a course).
What brought you to Concordia?
I received my Master’s and Doctorate degrees at Concordia and was so impressed by the University and the SON faculty I decided to join CUW as faculty. My son, daughter, and daughter-in-law all became FNPs through our CUW program and are excellent nurse practitioners.
What do you like to do for fun?
I recently bought an abandoned farm, built-in 1870, and enjoy remodeling projects with my husband. I love to travel, research genealogy, garden, and farm.
What do you love about the NP program?
The program is flexible and online, and we have a great faculty team of expert NPs.
What are your favorite specialties within Nursing? Why?
I am partial to family medicine because I love seeing the whole family. Additionally, I enjoy dermatology and infectious disease as they are fascinating.
Why should students join our Nursing program?
First, we love teaching and are passionate about the field of nursing. We also have excellent first-time passing rates on our boards.
What’s the most interesting part of your field that people might not know?
You get to heal people. You get them in their worse conditions and you diagnose, treat them and give them HOPE.
I had an 82-year-old patient recently that came in for a blood draw and he didn’t “feel well”. We were able to evaluate him, call the ambulance and get him admitted to the ICU. We also called his family to make sure someone could take care of his dog, which put his mind at ease so he could focus on getting better and going home.
What is your advice to students?
When you are in school, focus on your studies. Do your best to avoid distractions. Make sure to also ask for help from friends and family. If you are struggling, reach out to your professors so they can help you become successful in the program.
Realize that family is the most important, so if a serious family event happens, tell us so we can pray and support you.
What’s next?
If you’re interested in becoming a Nurse Practitioner or furthering your education, check out our programs below.