Did You Know?
            What’s a Nurse Practitioner?

by Dave Harney

There is good news for healthcare consumers. The sometimes frustrating and expensive search to find a healthcare provider who spends time talking with you, listening, and providing high-quality care may get easier if you visit a Nurse Practitioner (NP).  According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Nurse Practitioners perform many of the same tasks doctors do and, by providing high-quality care and counseling, may even lower the cost of health care for patients.

People can choose NPs as their primary, acute, and/or specialty healthcare provider. The AANP says that research conducted over more than 40 years has established that NPs provide high-quality, cost-effective, and personalized healthcare. It also states that patients who utilize a NP as their healthcare provider have fewer instances of emergency room visits, shorter hospital stays, and often have lower medication costs.

NPs are different than other healthcare providers in that they tend to take a more holistic approach to treatment.  They focus on the whole person when treating specific health problems, and they educate their patients on the effects those problems will have on them and their loved ones. This results in a high level of patient satisfaction and confidence in their provider -- so high that over 600 million visits are made to NPs each year.

Here are a few other facts about the profession:

• NPs have graduate, advanced education (most have master's degrees and many have doctorates) and advanced clinical training beyond their initial registered nurse preparation.

• NPs order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests; diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions; and can prescribe medications and other treatment.

• In addition to clinical services, they focus on health promotion, disease prevention, health education and counseling, and guiding patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices.

What kind of specific services do Nurse Practitioners provide?

From treating illness to advising patients on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, NPs provide
a full range of services.   These include:

• Ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic tests such as lab work and x-rays
• Diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood

       pressure, infections, and injuries

• Prescribing medications and other treatments
• Managing patients' overall care
• Spending time counseling patients
• Helping patients learn how their actions affect their health and well-being

To find a nurse practitioner in the Rochester area, visit our Links page at www.rochesterhealthyliving.com/links.html  and look for the links to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and their website, NPFinder.