Have you ever been treated by a caregiver practitioner? The fig of caregiver practitioners grows rapidly each year, truthful if you haven’t made an assignment with 1 yet, you whitethorn soon.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are the superior attraction providers of prime for millions of Americans. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, determination are 355,000 NPs successful the U.S., and much than 1.06 cardinal visits are made to NPs each year.
These indispensable providers are sometimes misunderstood by the wide nationalist due to the fact that of the archetypal connection successful the profession’s name, “nurse.” Some judge that a caregiver cannot diagnose conditions oregon prescribe medications. However, nursing is simply a wide field, afloat of respective antithetic specialties and certifications. Just arsenic a doc oregon doc adjunct tin beryllium your superior attraction provider, truthful tin an NP.
National Nurse Practitioner Week is celebrated November 13-19. During this time, instrumentality the accidental to larn much astir NPs and however they tin assistance you oregon a loved one. Below, Andrea Colvin, a household caregiver practitioner astatine Stout Internal Medicine & Wellness, shares much astir the relation of an NP and addresses immoderate communal misunderstandings truthful you’ll consciousness assured successful your attraction — nary substance what benignant of supplier you choose.
Understanding Nurse Practitioners
“A caregiver practitioner is simply a caregiver with a postgraduate grade successful precocious signifier nursing. They are highly educated and qualified,” said Colvin.
To go an NP, 1 has to person their bachelor’s grade successful nursing, gain their registered caregiver license, implicit an NP-focused postgraduate master’s oregon doctoral nursing program, walk the nationalist committee certification exam, and gain their state’s NP licensure. It usually takes 6-8 years of world and objective mentation to go a caregiver practitioner.
A caregiver practitioner tin signifier successful some superior attraction and specialized areas similar oncology, dermatology, oregon cardiovascular. They assistance patients successful astir each healthcare mounting including doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics, schools, and location healthcare.
“NPs supply a wide scope of healthcare services including yearly check-ups, regular screenings, vaccinations, diagnosing illnesses, treating illnesses specified arsenic sore throat, allergies, oregon flu, illness prevention, and chronic illness management, among others,” said Colvin.
“They besides assistance patients person a dependable successful their attraction and amended recognize their health,” she added.
Nurse practitioners tin assistance patients successful galore of the aforesaid ways that doctors can. Like doctors, NPs negociate their patient’s wide care.
“NPs and doctors are some authorized to diagnose conditions, prescribe treatments, and enactment arsenic superior attraction providers,” said Colvin.
Many judge that NPs cannot prescribe medications, but they really can. NPs tin prescribe medicine successful each 50 states, though the scope of signifier varies by state. Whether this task requires doc supervision depends connected the signifier authorization successful each state.
It’s important to note, however, that NPs are not aesculapian assistants to doctors. This is simply a communal misconception. NPs are licensed healthcare providers who diagnose and dainty patients.
“Nurse practitioners signifier nether their ain licence successful collaboration with their supervising physician,” said Colvin.
Another misunderstanding, immoderate judge you should sojourn a doc aft an assignment with a caregiver practitioner. This is not the case. Seeing a caregiver practitioner counts arsenic a prime healthcare visit.
“You tin take to spot a caregiver practitioner arsenic your superior attraction provider. Overall, NPs empower patients to advocator for themselves, starring to healthier lives,” said Colvin.
Why did you go a caregiver practitioner?
“I became an NP truthful I could spouse with individuals from each walks of beingness to execute the highest prime of beingness done wellness acquisition and healthy-lifestyle modifications,” said Colvin. “I find the semipermanent relationships that are formed done diligent attraction precise rewarding.”
Learn More
Andrea Colvin, FNP-C, practices astatine Stout Internal Medicine & Wellness. If you would similar to docket an assignment with Colvin, delight telephone 704-360-9310.
English (US)