Rebekah “Becky” Compton, DNP, RN, FNP-BC
President, VCNP Board of Directors
vcnppresident@gmail.com
Updated June 21, 2021
Summer is finally here and with it, I hope you are able to find some time to relax and soak up the sun, relish cool evenings, find time to enjoy family and friends around you and just take a breath after what has been a very challenging year.
Your VCNP Board of Directors met on Saturday, July 19 for our annual Leadership Retreat. The purpose of the half-day event was to discuss the strategic plan for the association over the next year. We focused on continuing to provide regular resources, including weekly emails and educational opportunities, the upcoming membership renewal, encouraging member engagement through our upcoming election, supporting education through our scholarship program, and working with local legislators to support NP advancement through events and the VCNP PAC.
The VCNP Conference Committee is already at work on the 2022 VCNP Annual Conference, which will be held at The Omni Homestead in Warm Springs. The committee is accepting abstracts for presentations that they will review over the summer. Selected speakers will be contacted in the fall. If you, or a colleague, friend, or new recent graduate, are interested in presenting at the 2022 VCNP Annual Conference, or have questions, click here. Abstracts are due by July 15! We are already looking forward to a great conference and best of all, meeting in person again!
VCNP membership renewal will occur September 1. Members should expect to be contacted by email with their renewal information, including a request to update your profile and your renewal invoice in the coming weeks. We appreciate your VCNP membership and encourage you to contact colleagues, recent graduates, and NP friends to join! If you have questions about membership, or the benefits of joining, contact vcnp@vcnp.net.
The VCNP Nominations & Awards Committee will open the 2022 Call for Nominations for our 2022-2024 VCNP Board of Directors Executive Committee. Nominations will be open for the following positions: President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer. Job descriptions can be found in the VCNP Policies & Procedures. If you know of a VCNP member who would make a great state leader, reach out to them to see if they are interested. Be on the lookout for the 2022 Call for Nominations in the late summer and be ready to nominate your new leadership! Nomination forms are available on the VCNP website after logging in and selecting the “Our Association” header and then selecting “Member Resources” from the dropdown menu. For any questions regarding the nomination or election process, contact vcnp@vcnp.net.
The VCNP Nominations & Awards Committee is currently looking through applications for the 2022 VCNP Nurse Practitioner Doctoral Scholarship Program. The VCNP values education for the advancement of nurse practitioners. In an effort to promote education and scholarship in our membership, the VNCP Nominations and Awards Committee will award a one-time scholarship to two students enrolled in an accredited, nursing doctoral (DNP or PhD) program. This is a members-only benefit, so DNP or PhD students, apply now! For more information, click here or contact vcnp@vcnp.net.
The VCNP Government Relations Committee is gearing up for the 2022 Virginia General Assembly and many regions are planning their regional legislative receptions. Regional legislative receptions are a great opportunity for NPs to connect with their local legislative representatives to share information about NP practice and advance our profession. The legislative receptions are organized by regional leadership – kudos to the VCNP Northern Virginia Region for scheduling their program on October 6! We encourage all regions to hold a regional legislative reception. If you have questions about your region’s plans, or want to help, contact vcnp@vcnp.net.
VCNP’s support of our legislators is also provided through donations via the VCNP PAC. Your PAC donations go directly to support legislators, meaning there is no administrative fee withdrawn and 100% of your donation is used to advance the NP professional needs. Our 2021 PAC fiscal year ends June 30, and we are making one last push for PAC support. Consider signing up for automatic giving for as little as $5 a month. For more information on donating to the PAC, contact vcnp@vcnp.net or donate by clicking here. We can’t make long standing changes on behalf of our profession without your support. Thank you for your generosity!
Last (but certainly not least!), I am very excited to share that beginning July 1, NPs with at least two years of clinical experience are eligible to apply for autonomous practice licensure, thanks to the success of House Bill 1737. Assuming the state of emergency ends on June 30 as Governor Northam has indicated, this means Virginia’s NPs will no longer be able to practice without a practice agreement or autonomous practice licensure as of July 1. If you have at least two years of clinical experience (equivalent to 3,600 hours), you have two options:
- Apply for autonomous practice licensure
- Re-enter a practice agreement
If you have at least five years of practice experience and haven’t already submitted your application, please apply now! Have questions about applying? Contact vcnp@vcnp.net. We need to show our commitment to reducing practice barriers for NPs in our state. Applying for your autonomous practice license is one way we can do that.
Your VCNP Board of Directors is dedicated to supporting NPs across Virginia. If you have any questions about your association, our programs, or anything VCNP, please reach out to me at vcnppresident@gmail.com. We are here for you! I appreciate hearing from our members. Enjoy the summer!
Rebekah “Becky” Compton, DNP, RN, FNP-BC
President, VCNP Board of Directors
vcnppresident@gmail.com
“No one can compete with you on being you. Most of life is a search for who and what needs you the most.”
– Naval Ravikant