Nurse Practitioners were first introduced into healthcare systems in 1965 by Loretta C Ford, and since that time the role has expanded to include over 189,000 NP's in practice today. Joining host Mimi Secor to review the first half-century of the Nurse Practitioner profession and its ongoing priorities and challenges is the founder of the NP movement herself, Dr. Loretta Ford. Dr. Ford is past Dean and Professor Emerita at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and is an internationally known leader in the nursing field.