The Review

How to Start an Independent Practice
The Nurse Practitioner's Guide to Success
By Carolyn Zaumeyer

[REVIEWER'S EXPERT OPINION] 
(as appears in Doody's Review Service)
Nancy S. Goldstein, RNC, MSN (Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing)

**Description**
Carolyn Zaumeyer has developed a new and revised "how to" guide for entrepreneurial nurse practitioners with information to direct them through the process of determining readiness, establishing and operating an independent practice, and even when should the NP sell the practice.

**Purpose**
The purpose of the book is to provide nurse practitioners with information to venture out on their own through the process of operating an independent practice. Each chapter is broken down into concise sections with clear brief descriptions which flow easily in a systematic fashion including business strategies and development, legal issues, marketing practices, collaboration issues, technology, medical record set up, and  illustrations. The author then brings the information presented in each chapter together in a creative way through anecdotes.

**Audience**
This book is written for the nurse practitioner who is established in their practice and can be beneficial for MBA's with a nursing background. The author has an incredible knowledge base with excellent resources, although many of the references are from mid-early 90's and 80's. There are excellent illustrations throughout the book.

**Features**
The book covers why one would want to start an independent practice, contact people, paperwork, time line, business practice, marketing, legal issues, hiring the right staff, office location, purchasing for the office, affordability. The best covered area is the business section and the illustrations which lay the foundation for development of an independent practice with Web sites and many tables and figures to modify to the NP's own specifications and needs. The author makes many references to her own company and mistakes she made, which adds much to the material. It might have been refreshing to include other stories of independent NP practices.

**Assessment**
This is a new and updated version of the Nurse Practitioner as Entrepreneur: How to Establish and Operate an Independent Practice published in 1995. This edition is more informative, has better illustrations, includes more complete Web sites, and is written in a style that makes the reader feel as if the author is talking to you alone.

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Weighted Numerical Score: 89 - 3 Stars
 

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