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Front&CenterFor more information and to download an applicationfor admission to the program, visit http://orthoparesidency.surgery.duke.edu.SMU students and the Alameda County Food Bank hosted a cookingdemonstration to illustrate healthy practices. courtesy SMUing topics such as blood sugar management and nutritiousmeal planning.FNP student Suzanne Portnoy said the bilingual workshopswere created to educate and improve glycemic control and selfmanagementskills in the Hispanic community and to promotebetter health through a series of face-to-face sessions.“Being told you have diabetes can leave you with a lot ofquestions,” Portnoy said. “The workshops encourage patientsto relate what they learn to their own experiences and makeplans to put that learning to work in their everyday lives.”For the past 3 years, SMU and the Davis Street FamilyResource, a private nonprofit organization, have been bringinglow-cost primary medical services to uninsured andunderinsured children and adults.Duke Launches Orthopedic SurgeryResidency for Physician AssistantsDuke University Medical Center in Durham,N.C., has created an orthopedic surgery residency for physicianassistants. The program is a 12-month residency thatprovides didactic education as well as clinical and surgicalexperience. PA residents will receive first assist OR training,first call responsibilities, emergency department responsibility,extensive clinical training, and other responsibilitiesthat a physician assistant will need to practice effectivelyin orthopedics.The residency program will provide exposure to all thesubspecialities within orthopedics. Applications are beingaccepted through March 30 and the first residents will beginthe program on Sept. 3.“The residency will give the PA the knowledge and skillsto make an immediate impact on their postgraduate practice,”said Ashley Grimsley, MHS, PA-C, codirector of theprogram.Occupy ANCC Movement Seeks toHalt NP Credential ChangeIn a nod to the recent Occupy movement that sweptthe country to seek financial reforms, a nurse practitionerwho disagrees with credentialing changes by the AmericanNurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has started a campaignto reverse the changes.Rodney Fox, NP, PhD, started a Facebook groupcalled “Occupy ANCC: Say NO to retiring your NP credential.”Find the page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/320993387910854/.ANCC is retiring several credentials but will continue tomaintain certification of NPs with the retired credentials aslong as they continue to meet the requirements for renewal.The NP credentials that will be retired are acute care nursepractitioner, adult nurse practitioner, adult psychiatric–mentalhealth nurse practitioner and gerontological nurse practitioner.The ANCC has published FAQs about this change at http://www.nursecredentialing.org/APRN-FAQ.aspx.“It seems ridiculous to retire these highly esteemed credentials,”Fox said. “I am attempting to bring a unified voiceto others who may feel the same.”Although ANCC has acted in good faith to align its credentialswith the Licensure, Accreditation, Certification andEducation (LACE) consensus model, Fox said he believesANCC overlooked important issues in its decision.A divide could develop between newly certified NPs andNPs who maintain the retired credentials, he said, and thecredential inconsistency could also confuse patients. NPswith a retired credential will not be able to sit for boards ifthey allow it to lapse, he added.Fox is seeking support to find solutions to the issues heraises. At press time in late January, 53 NPs had joined theOccupy ANCC Facebook group.“A process that provides a mechanism to move all APRNstogether is best for APRNs and the community in need oftheir services,” Fox said.“I support the consensus model and believe the demandfor gerontology services will grow, but this is not a favorableway forward.” ■Share Your News➼ What’s going on in your state or organization?Let us know so that we can share it with our more than100,000 readers. Email your news to Kelly Wolfgang atkwolfgang@advanceweb.com.ADVANCE for NPs & PAs15