Meet your Nurse Practitioner!
At Health Partnership Clinic (HPC) our Nurse Practitioners play key roles. They provide a full range of medical care from pediatric to geriatric and some specialty services. We greatly appreciate their quality of care and service to our patients.
What is a Nurse Practitioner?
A nurse practitioner is an RN who begins with a bachelor’s degree in nursing (RN-BSN). He or she then obtains a master’s degree, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or doctoral level, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Nurse practitioners may practice in broad areas including primary care, acute care and specialty care services, practicing either independently or in collaboration with a physician. Your primary care provider may be a nurse practitioner.
What does a Nurse Practitioner do?
Primary Care nurse practitioners see patients in offices or Urgent Care settings, perform routine check-ups and investigate symptoms to diagnose and treat illnesses. Their work varies from wellness visits to managing chronic complex illnesses. They order and interpret lab tests, x-rays and the full range of other diagnostic tests. From your history and test results, they form a treatment plan. Some nurse practitioners perform procedures such as biopsies, suturing of lacerations and fracture care to name a few.
What is the education and training needed to become a Nurse Practitioner?
All nurse practitioners complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and a Master of Science in Nursing (APRN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Each nurse practitioner has to successfully pass a certification exam to begin practice.
Do Nurse Practitioners specialize, or do they all practice Primary Care?
About three-fourths of nurse practitioners work in Primary Care but there are many other specialties that can be pursued. These include Psychiatry and Mental Health, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health.
At HPC our nurse practitioners play key roles. Our nurse practitioners specialize in primary care, in psychiatric services and in women’s health. We also employ nurse practitioners who are specially trained in medication assisted treatment of substance abuse.
We are so grateful for our NPs at HPC. Thank you, Tony Anno, DNP, ACNP-BC, APRN; Kierra Calico, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, FNP-C; Maureen Caro, FNP-BC; Eva Clark, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC; Thao Le, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC; Jennifer Miller, FNP-BC; Rebecca Turner, MSN, APRN, FNP-C; Whitney Venegoni, APRN, FNP-C; Gwenyth Wagner, DNP, APRN; and Patti West, DNP, APRN.
Please take time to thank our Nurse Practitioners for all they do for our patients. Happy Nurse Practitioner Week!
