Dr. Patrice Little is here to let aspiring nurse practitioners know that there’s a new program available to help them achieve their goals.

Little has launched NP Student University, an educational platform designed to help current nursing students and new graduates better navigate their education and fill critical educational gaps.

It also serves as a professional social network of sorts, connecting doctoral students in the profession with other professional nurse practitioners so they can get real-time and hands-on experience in their chosen field.

One of the reasons that Dr. Little launched NP Student University was because she was attempting to address the ever-widening educational gap between nurse practitioners.

And this widening gap became even more evident — perhaps unsurprisingly — during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a graduate of a hybrid program, there are many concerns in NP education that need to be addressed for one becoming a provider solely online during a pandemic,” said Dr. Little. “It’s a relatively progressive field that addresses the national primary care shortage, which means that there are opportunities to make the providers more qualified to fill in those gaps.”

NP Student University also has a lot of benefits and perks attached to it. Its members can expect weekly live sessions, support with personal and professional development (so they’ll help you find a job!), support with Doctoral project development, discounts to sponsored events, and more!

According to the National Institute of Health, the demand for primary care providers is expected to grow 17 percent by the year 2025.

“After incorporating insurance expansion, the United States will require nearly 52,000 additional primary care physicians by 2025. Population growth will be the largest driver, accounting for 33,000 additional physicians, while 10,000 additional physicians will be needed to accommodate population aging. Insurance expansion will require more than 8,000 additional physicians, a 3% increase in the current workforce,” says the National Institute of Health.

That makes the work at NP Student University all the more important!