National Nursing Week

C M Y K NURSING WEEK NATIONAL 10 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATuRDAY, MAY 10, 2014 Sylvie Beaudry runs a pediatric practice at St. Boniface Hospital. She diagnoses patients, orders tests and prescribes medication. If ne- cessary, she can refer her patients to special- ists, but Beaudry is not a physician. She's a nurse practitioner. There's still a lack of awareness that nurse practitioners are qualified to perform many of the same services as family doctors. Like gen- eral practitioners, NPs are also primary care providers. "Some specialists don't understand that we function as primary care providers as well. Even our colleagues don't always understand our role," Beaudry says. "The main challenge of this job is having our role understood by our colleagues, other professionals and the public. We try to edu- cate the public and have put a lot of materi- als out there, but there's still a lot of work to do." She adds that QuickCare Clinics, which are staffed by NPs, have given the profes- sion more public exposure. The clinics were created to take some of the pressure off hospital emergency rooms and fill gaps in the health-care system. Patients with minor acute issues such as in- fected cuts, severe headaches, rashes, back pain and vomiting can expect to have a shorter wait time at QuickCare Clinics in Winnipeg, Sel- kirk and Steinbach than they would in an emer- gency room. And people who can't get an ap- pointment with their family doctor, or who don't have a family doctor, can visit a QuickCare Clin- ic for birth control, immunizations, prescription refills, sexually transmitted infections and min- or illnesses. NPs are helping to ease the burden on the health-care system, which is a great benefit to the patients. "We definitely have a role in improving care and increasing access to primary health care. We're able to get people seen and taken care of quicker, and we can provide temporary care when someone can't find a family doctor," Beaudry says. "We complement the system. We help to alleviate the burden to increase ac- cess to primary care." NPs work in many roles, providing care in hospital clinics and ERs, community clinics, long-term care homes and other facilities. Edu- cators and researchers, they're registered nurs- es who have had additional training and earned advanced degrees. Beaudry became an NP in 2006, after work- ing as a registered nurse for more than a dec- ade. "I always wanted to be in medicine, and this is the nearest thing that I could do. I like being able to be more independent, and I enjoy the broad scope of my practice," she says. "The main difference between a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner is we have in- dependent practices. We're able to diagnose illnesses and prescribe medication. We follow our own patient load, depending on what de- partment we work in. Obviously, if you're in emergency you can't do that." Beaudry works in the ambulatory clinic at St. Boniface Hospital weekdays from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. "I spend most days seeing patients. The bulk of my practice is healthy kids, but I also deal with some acute-care (cases)," she says. "The best part of my job is the interaction with the kids and their families, and the ability to manage them independently." Beaudry also works with teenage mothers and their babies. She runs clinics every mor- ning and two afternoons each week. She tries to reserve two afternoons each week for pro- fessional development and research. Due to turnover in her department, her research time has so far been dedicated to patient care, but she's excited about tackling new projects. "There is a bunch of different research going on with nurse practitioners. Other nurse practitioners have done research into the cost effectiveness of care," she says. "We're trying to improve pain man- agement for kids. When they come in for immunizations, how do we help them deal with the fear and the pain?" Beaudry says it's a wonderful career, particu- larly for those who enjoy independence and the ability to make their own decisions. "We have direction from nursing leadership, but we're able to be independent practitioners and our practices are definitely not dictated by physicians. We're responsible for our own deci- sions," she says. "I'm able to consult appropriate specialists when needed and can order diagnostic tests. There are a lot of challenges, but it's very ful- filling and I really enjoy it. I love my job." The Nurse Practitioner Is In Raising awareness that NPs are primary care providers By Holli Moncrieff – For the Free Press Photo by Darcy Finley Sylvie Beaudry enjoys independence and a broad scope of practice as a nurse practitioner. "Some specialists don't understand that we function as primary care providers as well. Even our col- leagues don't always understand our role," Beaudry says.

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