Nurses have battled the image of being doctor’s helpers for so long and sometimes it seems as if we have broken through that barrier, and other times it feels as if we are being stuffed right back into that box. Whether or not Congress ever gets the health care reform passed, there are many changes that must take place in order for the quality and affordability of health care to improve and meet the challenges of this new decade and beyond. Nurse practitioners have grown to be one of the most well respected branches of the nursing profession and yet the public has yet to come to the same conclusion.…