I want to take a moment to celebrate my Nurse Practitioner colleagues. This week is National NP week. A good time to take a breath and recognize the valuable contributions of these amazing healthcare providers.
Some people say Nurse Practitioners are “fairly new.” Really!? How long do you have to be around to no longer be fairly new? I guess everything is relative. Still, did you know that we’ve had nurse practitioners providing care in Canada for nearly 50 years? At first, we saw most of them working in remote and rural areas but now we’re in acute care hospitals, family health teams, community health centres, Physicians’ offices, NP-Led clinics, private practice and many other places where health care is needed.
My post graduate nursing education has prepared me to expand my scope of practice and allowed me to really grow as a nurse. I love that as an NP we can diagnose illnesses, order & interpret diagnostic tests, refer to other health care professionals and specialists, provide counselling and education, provide treatment, prescribe all medications and manage chronic diseases.
I, personally, feel most passionate about helping people recover from mental health and addiction problems. I feel strongly about integrating my patients’ mental health and or addiction problems within their overall health care plan. My mission : to get you back on an even keel.
Please join me in celebrating the Nurse Practitioners in your life.
Learn more about the 3,700 Nurse Practitioners in Ontario at NPAO.org
Learn more about Nathalie Héloïse Graveline, Nurse Practitioner at EvenKeelHealth.ca
Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash
Even Keel Health 