The American Association of Nurse Practitioners named Mykell Barnacle, assistant professor of practice in the NDSU School of Nursing, as the recipient of the 2022 AANP State Award for Excellence.

The prestigious award highlights the outstanding achievement of nurse practitioners such as Barnacle. The award is given to a nurse practitioner in each state who demonstrates excellence in clinical practice.

Barnacle helps educate graduate students pursuing their Doctor of Nursing Practice/Family Nurse Practitioner degrees. The need for nurse practitioners is expected to increase 45 percent through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Barnacle was instrumental in establishing a grant-funded Nurse Practitioner Residency program for new graduates. It better prepares nurse practitioner graduates for rural care practice through enhanced educational content, procedural training and immersive clinical experiences in partnership with Essentia Health.

“Rural nurse practitioners often treat a wide range of complex conditions, as well as perform many procedures that are not as common in urban primary care,” said Barnacle, who is the project’s director. “Highly prepared nurse practitioners who function at the highest scope of practice benefit rural patients and communities.”

“This national recognition of Dr. Barnacle highlights her role in providing students with a highly-effective, in-person educational experience to prepare them to provide exceptional patient care,” said Carla Gross, chair and associate dean in the NDSU School of Nursing.

Areas of research interest for Barnacle include health promotion/disease prevention, rural education needs, and nurse practitioner rural residency programs.

She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, North Dakota Nurse Practitioner Association, and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.

Barnacle is scheduled to receive the award at the AANP Annual Conference in June.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners, representing the interests of the more than 325,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the U.S.

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