Nurses are the connective tissue underlying healthcare systems, and studies have shown that they can cover care gaps in physician shortage areas. Jennifer Mensik Kennedy is president of the American Nurses Association (ANA), which represents 5 million nurses in the U.S. and has been advocating for policies that support and protect nurses in their jobs. Recently, the group gathered a coalition of over 90 organizations to support the ICAN Act that was reintroduced in 2025, which would remove federal barriers preventing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses from providing care without doctor supervision. “The research has been clear for decades that nurse practitioners and other advanced practice roles provide quality patient care equal to, if not better than, primary care physicians,” says Mensik Kennedy. ANA also pulled together a collective petition to Congress to requalify nurses as professionals following the U.S. Department of Education’s new proposed definition of professional degrees, so loan limits don’t become a barrier to entry. Their activism has drawn international support. “We’ve gotten letters from across the globe,” Mensik Kennedy says. “The role of the APRN started in the United States. As countries are trying to develop the role, they look to the U.S. to help provide those standards.”
