Ifiok Etim Akpan, DNP, MS, FNP – C, PGDPA, RN
Brooklyn, New York.
Dr. Akpan has over thirty years of experience as a nurse. He is a board-certified nurse practitioner with expertise in family health. He began his nursing career in 1986 at the Central School of Nursing and Midwifery Ikot Ekpene, where he obtained his associate degree in 1989. With the desire to expand his fund of knowledge and increase his clinical nursing skills to make a positive impact on health in his community, he furthered a specialty training in the accident and emergency nursing at the School of Post Basic Nursing, Lagos, and became certified in 1997. In 2000, he got employed at the National Hospital, Abuja, where he had the opportunity to enlighten the public and also participated in programs that promote wellness and prevent injuries in the Accident and Emergency department. To develop his leadership qualities to make a difference in the public arena, Dr. Akpan enrolled and graduated with a postgraduate diploma in public administration (PGDPA) from the University of Calabar in 2003.
In search of better career opportunities in the United States, he earned his first clinical experience in 2007 with Suny Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, where he worked as a Teaching and Research Center Nurse 2 (TRCN2) in the medical-surgical oncology unit until 2011.
He enrolled and completed his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree at Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, New York, and his Master of Science (MS) degree in Family Nurse Practitioner at Lehman College, Bronx, New York, in 2013. Dr. Akpan’s vision for advanced education was to be well equipped with the tools and skills to apply practice changes to improve care quality. He enrolled for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at the Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated in 2020. He received nomination into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing based on his outstanding academic performance. Dr. Akpan holds a national certification with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Furthermore, he has served as a faculty member in AMG and TCI schools of LPN, both in the City of New York, between 2014 and 2016. He has been practicing since 2016 as a nurse practitioner at Essen Medical Associates in the primary care and house-calls Divisions, where he is passionately building relationships and working with high-risk families to provide education to reduce gaps in care. He has precepted student NPs from Lehman College, Bronx, N Y, and mentors/nurtures new NPs. His interests are in contraception and unintended pregnancy. He made potentially meaningful contributions by improving counseling strategies that increased the acceptance and use of contraceptive implants in primary care among young women.
Dr. Akpan has served as the convener of New York Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurse Practitioners USA Inc. and is currently serving as the first elected president in the executive council. He is overly excited to be part of this organization and is proud to identify and work with an incredible team of practitioners. As an association with room for growth, his vision for NANNPU NY is to nurture and maintain a healthy membership, community, and professional support among members, and promote the NP profession.
He resides in Brooklyn with his wife and enjoys traveling, cooking, agriculture, and reading in his spare time.