title: The evolution of specialists in women's health care across the lifespan: women's health nurse practitioners.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this article, we will trace the beginnings of this nurse practitioner specialist, illustrating with the stories of women's health nurse practitioners who were some of the pioneers in developing the role and models of care to meet the unique needs of women across their lifespan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oral history interviews with pioneers in the role who graduated from both certificate and master's programs preparing nurse practitioners informed and shaped the story. Additional data came from the literature on the evolution of advanced practice nurse roles and education and documents from early educational programs and the legal and regulatory literature affecting the roles and practices of advanced practice nurses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women's health nurse practitioners have evolved to fill an important role in healthcare delivery, caring for women across generations often within the same families.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women's health nurse practitioners, as do all nurse practitioners, offer a unique approach to care. To paraphrase the words of one participant, I think we address a major healthcare need because if women are educated about themselves and what they need to do to take care of themselves, the result is a better community.
authors.affiliation: William F. Connell School of Nursing Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fontenot
authors.forename: Joellen W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hawkins
mesh_terms: D057179:Advanced Practice Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008611:Mentors; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D016387:Women's Health