Emergency and Convenient/Urgent Care Community

My career as an emergency services NP has been exciting, fulfilling and decorated with incredible opportunities; unforgettable patients and families; and beautiful teamwork with coworkers and professional colleagues. There is growing need for well-trained emergency NPs to lead future emergency care, and I am excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with you to move our specialty forward. Together we can promote safe delivery of evidence-based emergency care and the future well-being of health care consumers and emergency health care teams.

I have been an interdisciplinary leader in emergency services for over four decades. Early in my career, I was a paramedic/firefighter; I later served as an emergency registered nurse, emergency-trauma clinical nurse specialist, the assistant director of an expansive Level-1 academic trauma center emergency department (ED) and have maintained active practice as an emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) for over 30 years. I was instrumental in development of a large municipal nurse-managed occupational health/urgent care clinic where I served as director and lead-NP for 15 years.

I championed development of the ENP subspecialty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing, where I am an associate professor teaching in masters and doctoral education and serve as ENP subspecialty co-coordinator. I am a founding member of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners and currently serve as president of the organization. I am a recognized Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing (2017), the American Academy of Nursing (2021) and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2023). I have a long-standing professional commitment to the prehospital EMS community and continue to collaborate with fire services in community paramedicine initiatives and with paramedic training programs to improve EMS workforce quality and access.

Dr. Veronica “Ronnie” Quattrini is an associate professor and senior director of the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, and a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP). She also practices as an ANCC board-certified family nurse practitioner in the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments and Urgent Care, where she mentors DNP students and advances clinical excellence.

With more than 25 years of leadership in health care and academia, Dr. Quattrini has spearheaded initiatives that bridge education, practice and scholarship. Her most notable academic innovation, The Episodic Tool, has been nationally and internationally recognized for measurably improving NP students’ clinical judgment skills. In emergency medicine, she has led quality improvement initiatives that integrate social determinants of health into the Emergency Severity Index, achieving a 60% reduction in length of stay and an 88% increase in patient satisfaction.

A recognized thought leader, Dr. Quattrini has published widely and presented internationally on NP education, emergency care and the ethical integration of artificial intelligence (AI). Her scholarship emphasizes AI-driven curriculum innovation, simulation and faculty development to prepare NP graduates for technology-enhanced, competency-based care.

As co-chair of the AANP Emergency and Convenient/Urgent Community, she brings her combined expertise in emergency practice, academic leadership and health system improvement to advance the future of NP education and emergency care delivery.

Vanessa Jill Simmons is a board-certified family NP with extensive experience in urgent care. She is licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse in her home state of Mississippi; 12 additional states; and Washington, D.C. She has dedicated her career to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care in fast-paced clinical environments.

Jill is recognized for her expertise in managing diverse patient populations, her commitment to mentorship and her passion for advancing the NP role. She is dedicated to expanding access to timely, evidence-based care and ensuring patients feel heard and supported in moments of greatest need.

She is excited to serve as co-chair of the Urgent Care Specialty Practice Group for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). In this role, Jill will work to strengthen urgent care practice, advocate for NPs nationwide and foster professional growth — while helping shape the future of health care delivery to meet the evolving needs of patients and providers.

Roseann has served as a family NP for 26 years. She works in an internal medicine practice treating urgent care patients. Her clinical experience includes internal medicine, orthopedics, community paramedicine, primary care and surgical mission work. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, adjunct faculty and medicolegal consultant. Roseann has served as the director of advanced practice clinicians, and she continues to advocate for NPs and patients at the state and national levels.

Roseann lives in Bozeman, Montana, where she enjoys her family and the great outdoors.