Dr. Valerie Fuller is the President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) and a nationally recognized nurse leader with over three decades of experience in health care, including 27 years as a nurse practitioner (NP). She is dual certified as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care and Family Nurse Practitioner and holds both a PhD and a DNP in nursing. Clinically, she practices in the Department of Surgery at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, and serves as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Fuller brings extensive expertise in clinical practice, regulation and leadership, with a strong commitment to advancing NP roles and improving access to high-quality care. She is a past president of the Maine Nurse Practitioner Association (MNPA) and served more than 14 years on the Maine State Board of Nursing as the Chair and APRN board member. At the national level, she has held multiple leadership roles with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), including service on their Board of Directors from 2017 to 2021. Prior to her role as President, she also served as the AANP Maine State Liaison, Region 1 Director and as a member of the AANP Fellows selection committee. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and an award-winning textbook for Acute Care Nurse Practitioners. She serves on the editorial board of The Journal for Nurse Practitioners and is the recipient of several honors, including the AANP Advocate State Award for Excellence and the NCSBN Elaine Ellibee Leadership Award. Dr. Fuller is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and the National Academies of Practice (FNAP), reflecting her enduring contributions to the nursing profession.
Topics
Appearances (1)
2026-02-24
Dr. Valerie Fuller: How a proposed federal student loan rule could impact availability of healthcare in the U.S.In Dr. Valerie Fuller, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), joined the Health Policy Podcast to discuss a federal policy proposal that could have significant implications for the health care workforce and patient access to care across the country. AANP is the largest organization representing nurse practitioners in the United States. In January, the U.S. Department of Education released a proposed rule that would redefine which degree programs qualify as “professional” for the purposes of federal student loan limits. While this may sound technical, the decision could directly impact nurse practitioner students and, ultimately, the availability of care in communities nationwide. Dr. Fuller discussed what this proposal means and why it has drawn national attention.
Notable quotes
“Nursing was not included in the professional category.”
“If the proposed rule goes through, your loan amount would be capped at 20,500 a year with a hundred thousand dollars cap.”
“We already have a shortage of faculty, but add to that, now they're gonna have lower amounts available to them to go back to get graduate education.”
“With fewer healthcare providers, you're gonna have longer wait times to see a primary care provider.”
“By excluding nurse practitioner programs from the definition of professional degree, the department's really outta step with modern healthcare.”
“Nurse practitioners are the answer to that problem. We can answer the call, but we need the educational funds to get us there.”
