Episode 015 - NPs at the Heart of Healthcare: What are Nurse Practitioners and Can You Be One?

In this episode, we dive into the world of Nurse Practitioners (NPs), the heart and driving force of advanced patient care. If you’ve ever wondered what NPs do, how they contribute to healthcare, or whether this career path is right for you, this episode is your ultimate guide. We explore the role of NPs, examining what they do and how they are transforming healthcare. You'll also learn about the path to becoming an NP, with a step-by-step breakdown of the education, licensure, and experience required to pursue this rewarding career. Additionally, we discuss the diverse specialties available for NPs, from primary care to psychiatry, highlighting the wide range of opportunities in the field. Finally, we delve into the traits and skills that make for a successful NP, helping you determine whether this career is the perfect fit for you. Whether you’re a pre-nursing student, a nursing student, or someone considering a career change, this episode provides valuable insights, inspiration, and practical advice to help you take the first step toward becoming a Nurse Practitioner. 

RESOURCE GUIDE: Nurse Practitioner Resources

PODCAST HOST: Fallon M. Flowers, MSN, BS, RN, WHNP-BC
------------------------------------------------------------
Grab your VIRTUAL REMOTE and tune in where you like to watch and listen: https://sociatap.com/NursingInspired/listen-up-future-nurse-podcast 
------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THE GUEST:  
Fallon M. Flowers "the Black Pre-Nursing Coach” and board-certified Women's Health Nurse Practitioner serving patients in Obstetrics & Gynecology on the Southside of Chicago. She has made many contributions in her area of practice including preceptor, instructor, and journal peer reviewer for Women’s Healthcare journal. Fallon is known for her advocacy and speaking on women's health topics for the last 20 years including to young girls at predominantly black middle schools. She has worked in clinical research trials, presented at nursing conferences and co-authored poster presentations. 

Fallon has been recognized for her mentorship since 2015 in her efforts to combat the nursing workforce shortage, by serving as an instructor and academic coach to many college-bound youth and non-traditional adult students.  She has spoken to youth as young as 10 years old about nursing and frequently speaks for high schools and youth groups about nursing careers both globally to locally. Fallon was the host of two television specials "Pre-Nursing in Color: What to know about applying to nursing school as a minority/Black student" and "Suits & Scrubs: The Black Men of Nursing" seen on 360TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Facebook and LinkedIn LIVE. She was a dedicated host in her Clubhouse forum “Student Support Sunday for Black Pre-Nursing Students” for several years.

Recognized as a nursing leader, Fallon has received several awards, grants and scholarships from National and State-level organizations to include the 40 under 40 Emerging Nurse Leader from Illinois Nurses Foundation, the NBNA Under 40 award from National Black Nurses Association, Inc. She was also inducted into the International Honor Society of Nursing Sigma Theta Tau. She has accepted several Keynote speaker invitations and frequently requested to contribute on advisory, non-profit executive boards and other nursing and community organizations. 

As a flourishing entrepreneur, she is the Founder & CEO of NursingInspired LLC has her own online school with her signature system the NursingInspired Rx. Fallon provides black future nurses with 1:1 academic coaching, courses and organizational spreadsheets for their nursing school