A celebration of Nurse Practitioners, who are a crucial part of the patient care team
Nurse Practitioners are an integral member of any clinical trial's team. They make important contributions to patient care, research integrity and human subject protection. National Nurse Practitioner Week was celebrated amongst those in the NIH Clinical Center Nov. 13-19. In honor of Nurse Practitioner Week, meet two of the nurse practitioners who work with patients at the NIH Clinical Center.
![Dr. Rita Volochayev, a nurse practitioner with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Clinical Research Branch, works with both pediatric and adult patient populations at the NIH CC. She came to the NIH in 2006 to work on her dissertation and subsequently ended up staying upon receiving her doctorial degree. Volochayev said being a nurse practitioner at the NIH is a unique challenge. Nurse practitioners at the NIH have mastered the ability to lead and contribute to almost every discipline at many different levels. The role is a blending of clinical, research, administrative, regulatory, educational, mentoring and supervisory skills. Usually, no two nurse practioners' roles are the same at the NIH. Basically, nurse practitioners function as the primary point of contact for everything and anything.](/sites/nihinternet/files/internet-files/about/news/newsletter/2016/winter/images/story-winter-nurse-practitioners-01.jpg)
![Laurie Grant, a nurse practioner with the National Heart, Lung and Blood institute, works in the CIP at the NIH Clinical Center. Originally from New Jersey, Grant joined the NIH family from George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC in 2004. On being a nurse practioner at the CIP, Grant said, The CIP is a small team and each of us wears many hats. We balance a clinical program with preclinical experiments and investigator travel for collaboration with outside institutions. It is a privilege to work with such an innovative and creative group and to see the work that is done in our lab translated to medical practice.](/sites/nihinternet/files/internet-files/about/news/newsletter/2016/winter/images/story-winter-nurse-practitioners-02.jpg)