Nurse practitioners make it personal
Posted by Esther Fabian : November 4th, 2009Nov. 8 through 14 is Nurse Practitioner Week. According to the Academy of Nurse Practitioners, nurse practitioners play a vital role “in bringing high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient centered, personalized primary care to all populations of the United States. (I love their alliteration, by the way!)
Nurse practitioners, or NPs, much like physician assistants, which I wrote about in a past journal entry, provide care under the supervision of a physician. They can provide a ton of services for patients, including ordering/interpreting diagnostic tests, diagnose and treat, prescribe medications, and, I think one of the greatest things they can do – they can take the time to explain, counsel and educate patients.
Most recently, my personal experience with an NP has been with Pam Snyder, who works with Dr. Anita Leininger who ordered my biopsy and performed my lumpectomy.
Pam explained the biopsy process to me in a way I could understand. Later she would explain my cancer and the treatments options that would work for me. She also gave me a ton of reading material.
Most importantly, Pam took the time to answer my questions. She obviously knew her stuff, and by that I don’t just mean the facts about disease and treatment, but she knew what questions to ask me. She know how to look at me, how to talk to me. She knew how to make a newly diagnosed cancer patient feel a little more at ease after receiving some pretty heavy news.
And by the time I saw Dr. Leininger at these appointments, many of my questions had been answered, some information I already had forgotten (all of this can be a blur when you’re in mental shock over news) and was able to ask again, and new questions popped into my head in the few minutes since I had seen Pam. It made my appointment with the physician more efficient, and, in many ways, more effective.
In a few days, I’ll share with you more about Pam and about her life as a nurse practitioner.
Thinking about making a career change? Check out UT’s College of Nursing.
Esther Fabian is the director of health care marketing at The University of Toledo. Although she is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, Esther has willingly traded in brown and orange for the blue and gold. Over her nine years of employment at the institution, she continues to be fascinated by the incredible things that UT Medical Center professionals do every day to help people and loves learning about the many aspects of health care through those exceptional people. Esther hopes to use this journal to give folks a peek into the world of UT Medical Center, and maybe an occasional glimpse into the world of a working mom and owner of many, many pets.
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November 4th, 2009at 4:46 pm
I agree…nurse practitioners are an asset to any practice. Cardiology is lucky to have Bev Karabin, focusing on autonomic disorders, and Theresa Garris, focusing on pulmonary hypertension.
November 5th, 2009at 10:23 am
Thanks Esther for such a positive write up regarding NP’s. I am currently enrolled in the program at UTMC and I am so looking forward to completing the program and beginning to help patients in a different way then I typically do now working in the ER as an RN. Combining my knowledge and experience as an RN for the last 16 yrs and my education, I believe I will be well prepared to be a great NP.
November 5th, 2009at 1:27 pm
UTMC is fortunate to have many caring, knowledgeable and dedicated nurse practiitioners and physician assistants working throughout the hospital. Thanks to each and every one of you for the professional services you provide to help make UTMC a great place to work and receive health care.
November 5th, 2009at 1:35 pm
Thank you Esther for bringing attention to the critical role that NP’s play in the health care system!
November 5th, 2009at 1:57 pm
Thank you, Esther for speaking so highly about NPs. PAs and NPs both provide valuable care in many systems. There is, however, a difference between PAs and NPs: NPs work in a collaborative, not supervisory, arrangement with physicians.
November 5th, 2009at 4:40 pm
I would also like to thank Esther for her kind words and encouragement for Nurse Practitioners here at UTMC. Please, however, do make clear that NP’s do not work under the supervision of physicians, but in collaboration with physicians. Details of this can be viewed in the Position Statement from the homepage of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. It is important that those individuals that may be just learning about Nurse Practitioners understand the difference between PA’s and NP’s as we each have a unique place in todays healthcare systems.