This Essential is really what ties all of the others together. As an Advanced Practice Nurse, my role is to never stop learning so that I might always provide the best care possible for my patients. This means keeping current on any recent changes to clinical practice guidelines, building knowledge through continuing education, and staying abreast of new literature that may impact my practice. It also means remaining actively engaged with my patients and being an advocate whenever a need arises.

Being a Family Nurse Practitioner truly is “cradle to the grave” care, as my patients for a single day may range from 3 days old to 90 years (or more!). What strikes me as most unique about my professional title is the word “family”. I envision one day being able to spend many years caring for the same members of multiple families. Having a single provider care for your family and most of their needs does not happen often anymore, but when it does, it is a special relationship. When a provider takes the time to truly get to know his or her patients, they can build a strong bond of trust. I believe this is quickly disappearing from healthcare and we must fight to bring it back.

As an FNP in the Tricare system, I have the additional role of needing to evaluate families to determine what special needs they have specifically due to having one or more family members on active duty. Military families don’t always fit the mold of what one might consider a traditional family. These families are often blended and dual-military (both parents are on active duty), separated from loved ones, or single parents (by choice, deployment, and too often times death), and so they present with their own unique challenges. I provided several examples of assignments that support this Essential, all of which required me to do exactly what I believe a “Family” provider should do: get to know the families. This can be accomplished on a one-to-one basis, such as a complete history and physical, or by looking at the family as a whole.

The assignments “Family Assessment - Lorenzo's Oil” and “Cohabitation and its Effect on Families” required me to evaluate families and their relationships with one another to determine what their needs might be, which meant looking at the family structure, individual roles, communication, and stressors. A family evaluation can be directed by the use of a health care model, but the one used should be relevant to the family. I have also provided some examples of health care models and how they might be used to accomplish this task.

Finally, the JBLM handbook was a joint venture with fellow students to provide a look at a fictional military family and provide a detailed plan of care for each member, in addition to listing local community resources that are available to them. This handbook has turned-out to be an excellent clinical companion, and I have been able to use it several times to assist my patients.