Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan proclaimed Nov. 8-14 as National Nurse Practitioner Week in a ceremony Monday at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing on the University of Arkansas campus.

Jordan read a proclamation, congratulating and expressing support for the nursing school.

Deborah Shirey, graduate program coordinator for the nursing school, talked about the importance of nurse practitioners and provided some history for the undergraduate nursing students gathered in the lobby of the Epley Center for Health Professions.

"This is the 50th anniversary of the nurse practitioner," said Shirey, who joined the nursing school faculty last fall. She is an advanced practice nurse practitioner with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Loyola University Chicago. "This is a landmark year for us, and the nursing faculty hope you will look at coming back to our program for a graduate degree."

The first nurse practitioner program was created at the University of Colorado in 1965. Nurse practitioners are licensed, expert clinicians with advanced education. Most have master's degrees and many have doctorates.

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing offers a Master of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice, both online with a clinical component. More information is available on the nursing school's website, or visit the University of Arkansas Online website for more information about the online aspects of the Master of Science in Nursing program or the Doctor of Nursing Practice.

Shirey said one purpose of the ceremony and proclamation is to help spread the word about the importance of what licensed nurse practitioners do. They provide health care that is cost-effective, safe and high in quality, she said, especially when it comes to taking care of patients in medically underserved areas.

The state of Arkansas has 1,677 practicing nurse practitioners, according to the proclamation, with more than 205,000 practicing in the United States and more than 916 million visits made annually to nurse practitioners. They order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests, diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions and prescribe medications and other treatments. In addition to clinical services, nurse practitioners focus on health promotion, disease prevention and health education and counseling, guiding patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices.

According to the Arkansas State Board of Nursing Annual Report of 2013, there are 102 practicing nurse practitioners in Washington County and 70 in Benton County.

Nursing faculty also expressed support for state legislation that would enable greater access to services of nurse practitioners, and the proclamation noted that 21 states and the District of Columbia have granted full practice authority to nurse practitioners.