In some fields such as dermatology, nurse practitioners can perform minor surgical procedures within that area of practice
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Working as an ICU nurse helping “the sickest of the sick” for a few years revealed to Elizabeth Smith the importance of preventive care, she said.
Broadening her scope and education to become a family nurse practitioner allows her to do more for the patients at Finger Lakes Health at Seneca Family Health in Waterloo than she had done previously as a registered nurse in a hospital setting.
“I can provide access to care from newborn on up,” Smith said. “One of the big enjoyments is the preventative side of healthcare. If we have health problems like hyperlipidemia, diabetes and hypertension, let’s manage them so we don’t have you go in the hospital.”
Since she provides primary care for general health and for chronic conditions across the age spectrum, she follows patients for longer than is typical in a hospital setting. She also likes that she can provide access to care in a more rural setting where access can be challenging.
Smith emphasized the broad range of what someone can do with an advanced degree: specializing in a type of patient or scope of care, educating the next generation of nurses and working in an institutional setting such as a hospital or long-term care facility.
“Right now, I’m pretty content taking care of patients in the family practice setting,” Smith said. “I do women’s health in my practice. I’m pretty happy providing care across the lifespan and watching kids
grow up.”
Selma Mujezinovic, Rochester Regional Health vice president of advanced practice providers, said that many people who end up working as a nurse practitioner start as RNs and then like Smith develop the desire to pursue a master’s and doctorate as a nurse practitioner.
“The root of nursing is caring,” Mujezinovic said. “We deliver nursing care in a medical model.”
Although the master’s degree is the minimum requirement, she added that the trend is to go for the doctorate degree.
“There are various ways to get into advanced practice,” Mujezinovic said. “The vast majority have chosen this as a first career. But it’s not impossible to choose it as a second career.”
Nurse practitioner training focuses on population health across the age span but can specialize in areas such as pulmonology through on-the-job training for many of the niches. They support the other providers in a team-based environment, including doctors in hospitals, doctor’s offices and clinics. In some fields such as dermatology, nurse practitioners can perform minor surgical procedures within that area of practice. They can also diagnose acute or chronic conditions, prescribe medication without a supervising physician and perform other therapeutic measures in that area.
Many small practices rely upon nurse practitioners for tasks such as physicals, managing chronic conditions, patient education and counseling, and monitoring medication effects.
“If we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t be able to meet the needs of as many patients,” Mujezinovic said. “There would be delays in care. We are able to reach the vast majority of patients with high quality, affordable care.”
Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage for a nurse practitioner in the Rochester area is $126,000.