2020 ASMNP President's Message

Happy 2020 ASMNP Members! As I reflect over the past year, I am proud to lead this strong organization that supports nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students in our region. ASMNP maintains near 100 active members. This number remains consistent yearly. We proudly see 25-35 members at each of the 4 social events we host each year. I am overwhelmed by the networking that has occurred in the past two events alone.

ASMNP is a 501c(6) non-profit organization recognized by the MN Secretary of State and the IRS (yay!). In the past 2 years, we have built relationships with a local accountant and lawyer to ensure we meet all regulatory requirements to maintain our non-profit status. Our office space is at the Rochester Area Foundation, the local non-profit “hub” in Rochester. This connection truly has skyrocketed our connection to the community and my personal knowledge about non-profit leadership. I and Treasurer Christal Barton ensure financial stewardship and are working to maintain a neutral budget.

Other work that ASMNP has been involved with over the past year and opportunities for growth that we want YOU involved:

Networking among professional peers in the areas of health care and research: ASMNP happily hosts 4 social events per year. Our first event was held at the beautiful Garden Marketplatz in Byron. We hosted AANP and MNNP representatives to describe the work of their respective organizations. Our second event was held at The Castle (a new venue for us!) We offered one AANP approved contact hour for this event while we learned about refugee health and resettlement in our area. Please plan to attend our February event at Bleu Duck. RSVP opens early February on our website. Bleu Duck served an amazing & delicious plated meal last year and we look forward to another 3 courses plated meal this year! Pharmaceutical partnerships keep ASMNP financially strong. We have over doubled the number of vendors in the past year alone! I am grateful for these relationships and the individuals that bring their expertise and wit to our events. ASMNP joined Instagram this year! We want to increase our presence on Facebook and want YOU to interact with us! We will offer random surveys and posts we hope you find useful. Our goal this year is to grow our social media presence.

Identifying and addressing current legislative and professional health care issues: Representative Hagedorn’s staff member Ryan Altman and I have been in contact regarding professional practice issues important to nursing practitioners. We had both a one on one meeting and he also attended our large group meeting last year. Rep. Hagedorn cosponsored the “Improve Medicare Access to Home Health Services Act” in the House of Representatives that would allow Nurse Practitioners to sign home care orders. Senator Tina Smith co-sponsored the identical bill in the Senate. As President, I openly call our Congressmen/women to discuss legislative issues important to ASMNP members. We are tightly connected with our AANP (American Association of Nurse Practitioners) state representative Deb Lindgren-Clendenen who keeps us up to date on both state and national legislative issues. We appreciate her present at our events! ASMNP holds regional representation with Minnesota Nurse Practitioners (MNNP). I am happy to share this representation with an ASMNP member of a board member if you have an interest. We are still in search of a Legislative Board Member. Contact me or any board member if interested.

Support health care research efforts in Southeastern Minnesota: We typically offer our members an opportunity to discuss their research at our May event. I think we as an organization could do better at this. If you have a passion for research or want to see ASMNP present more opportunities please reach out. I would love to hear your ideas.

Other moments to celebrate: Marci Newcome, Communications Board Member, was named the MNNP Nurse Practitioner of the Year. Marci is the Supervisor of the NP/PAs in Cardiovascular Surgery at Mayo Clinic.

As you see, ASMNP has room for growth as an organization. We want to maintain healthy membership and community support. I always welcome feedback on how to improve our current processes and expand our reach as an organization.

As nurse practitioners, we give of ourselves daily – to our patients, our families, our friends, our community. It is my hope in 2020 that you feel like you receive support, acknowledgment, and maybe even some relaxation as a member of ASMNP and through participation at our events.

Cheers to a bold new year!
Natalie F. Mohammad
ASMNP President