October 2006
Susan D. Ruppert, PhD, RN, APRN-BC, NP-C,
FCCM, is a family and adult nurse practitioner who
received her PhD from Texas Woman’s University
and completed a postgraduate nurse practitioner
program at The University of Texas Medical Branch
at Galveston. She is an associate professor at The
University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston, division head for emergency, acute and
critical care, and director of the acute care nurse
practitioner and critical care clinical nurse specialist
programs. She maintains faculty practice as an adult
nurse practitioner and provides primary health care
to an adult underserved population.
Joanne V. Hickey, PhD, RN, ACNP, APRN-BC,
FAAN, FCCM, is an acute care nurse practitioner
who received her PhD from The University of
Texas at Austin School of Nursing and completed a
postgraduate acute care nurse practitioner program
at Duke University. She is a professor at the
University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston School of Nursing, interim assistant dean
and department chair for acute and continuing
care, and director of the doctor of nursing practice
program. Her faculty practice is focused on neuro-
science patient populations.
Susan D. Ruppert
Joanne V. Hickey
Should Interdisciplinary Practice Teams Be Models
for Nurse Practitioner Students?
POINT
counter-point
608 The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - JNP
Online Poll:
What is your view on this topic? Go to www.npjournal.org
to register your preference.
Interdisciplinary team practice is considered an essential component of community-oriented primary care. Health care pro-
fessionals working in communities understand that they cannot provide comprehensive care for all of their patients and
meet the health care needs of the community through an autonomous practice model. The use of interdisciplinary practice
teams in the educational model for nurse practitioner (NP) students is one method of meeting these needs.
As a group of individuals with diverse training and backgrounds who work together as an identified unit or system,
interdisciplinary practice team members consistently collaborate to solve patient problems that are too complex to be
solved by one discipline or many disciplines in sequence. This model encourages collaborative problem solving to provide
safe and efficient care.
No clear research identifies the best model for preparing NPs. Is the question of NP-only faculty versus multidisciplinary
practice teams too simplistic? Is it missing the point of the fundamental issue, the sequencing of processes and desired
outcomes of NP education? What do you think?
To comment on this matter, email section editor Jacqueline Rhoads at
JRhoad@lsuhsc.edu.
608-609_YJNP284_PtCount_CP 9/29/06 9:08 AM Page 608