Adcock Inducted As Fellow In Academy of Nurse Practitioners

Cary, NC – According to NurseAdvocacy.org, there are 2.9 million nurses in America. Of that total, only 158,000 are Nurse Practitioners, a masters-level accreditation.

This week, Gale Adcock of Cary, NC will be inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, joining an elite group of 500 top nurses from across the country.

Nurse Gale

Gale Adcock has been a nurse for 36 years, a nurse practioner for 24 of those 36. She hails from Martinsville, Virginia, attended East Carolina University and received her Master’s Degree from UNC Chapel Hill.

She settled in Cary in 1993 to raise a family and be close to her work at SAS.

But if you are picturing Gale with a tongue depressor and thermometer in hand, think again. She is the Director of Corporate Health Services at SAS, in charge of a staff of 55 (including the doctors).

There’s a health care revolution for you right there.

As in so many things, SAS takes it’s own approach to corporate health benefits. Gale and her staff provide primary care at the SAS Health Care Center, where health care services have been provided free to employees and their families since 1984.

The SAS Health Care Center serves 4,300 Cary employees and their families.  SAS figures show that the company saved just over $6M last year in health care costs compared with traditional corporate coverages.

Nurse Practioners

Nurse Practitioners receive extensive training in Masters Degree programs, preparing them to practice at an advanced level. NPs are also nationally certified. The core philosophy of their practice is maximizing health and providing individualized care.

Gale explained, “we go beyond fixing a problem or symptom, we care for the patient, the whole patient by, understanding the context of their condition. We are, after all, nurses.”

Nurse practitioners, like doctors, can prescribe medicines and can be a patient’s primary healthcare provider.

Council Member Gale

In addition to healing the sick and running a department at SAS, Gale serves on Cary Town Council.

“What a terrific opportunity it’s been to serve as the District D representative on the Cary Town Council for the last four years. You just don’t know what you don’t know until you can get ‘behind the scenes’ of a large operation like the Town.

I’ve learned a tremendous amount, made many new friends, and tried my best to make policy decisions that will positively impact Cary for the long-term.”

High Five Gale

If you see Gale in the halls (Town or SAS), offer her a high-five to celebrate her induction as an AANP Fellow. Add Healthcare Rock Star to her long list of career accomplishments.