How Can I Help AONP?
How Can I Help AONP?
We have had many people ask us lately, “How can I help advance AONP?” The number one way you can help Nurse Practitioners across Oklahoma is simply to tell your story of how NPs help improve health care in Oklahoma. A first-person story is always the best way to connect with someone on an issue.
Keep it Local
If you’d like to share the advantages of NP care to your state, reaching out to your local community is relatively easy to do. Perhaps you could invite a local or state government official to tour your practice.
Reach out to existing civic groups in your community to add the topic of NP care to discussions at chambers of commerce, business groups, schools, PTAs and other community forums. You could organize a health fair with your local NP group, and reach out to local public venues that might be interested in hosting such an event.
With your practice or your local NP group, support a local non-profit organization. Encourage healthy physical activity by sponsoring a fun-run, where proceeds benefit a local non-profit organization. Build positive ties in your community, and your voice and message will be respected.
Deliver the Letter
If you have a knack for writing, you might want to think about writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Letters provide a public forum to open up a discussion with the public. Remember to include all pertinent contact information, as the newspaper will want to contact you to verify the article.
Be timely in your response to news events. Be clear in your language, and focus on one main point. Get your readers’ attention at the beginning of the article with an interesting fact, and then keep their attention through about three paragraphs.
Show respect to your readers and avoid personal attacks or rudeness. A letter to the editor is meant to be of an opinionated nature, but should be strongly backed up with facts. Check and recheck for grammar and spelling mistakes. Hand it off to a friend or family member for additional proofreading. Read several letters to the editor before you begin writing yours to assess the publication and their editors’ tastes.
If your letter is not published, don’t worry or be discouraged.
Online Outreach
The internet is the largest discussion forum that exists. Share good news about NP care in the online groups that you are already a part of. To maximize the community of peers that you share ideas with, check out some of these existing online resources for NPs:
Like and follow AONP’s Facebook Page
Visit AANP on YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.
No matter the venue you choose to share the impact of NP health care, speaking up is the important part. Join us as we aim to show the entire state of Oklahoma the importance of NP health care.