FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact Person: Marilyn ButcherCompany Name: Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics
Phone Number: 705 671 1661
Website http:// sdnpc.ca
Laurentian University’s Nurse Practitioner Program Graduation
Sudbury, Ontario, November 2009 : Thousands more patients, many of them orphans, will now access primary health care in the north, thanks to Laurentian University’s latest graduating Nurse Practitioner class. The university’s School of Nursing recently held a ceremony congratulating the twenty-four newest graduates of the ‘NP’ Program. 1996 saw the first NP graduates from this university and further positive impact for the north will be felt when the current NP students graduate next year.
Offered via distance education, the NP program attracts nurses from across Ontario. Nurses qualifying for the NP program have a university nursing degree, years of relevant professional experience and meet the requirements for previous academic achievement. Each graduate from a Nurse Practitioner Education program must then pass a grueling licensing exam in order to practice as an NP.
“Nurse Practitioners order laboratory tests, diagnose illnesses and prescribe medication and treatments, states Marilyn Butcher, Nurse Practitioner and Clinic Director of the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics. Butcher adds, “NPs also practice with a team approach which means that they consult with a variety of health care providers. Among these are physicians, pharmacists, social workers, midwives and more, ensuring that the individual and family receive the best possible care."
Jana Carter, a resident of Lively, has accepted a position with the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics. “The NP program was an incredible amount of work, but well worth it. I’m looking forward to working in an environment where I can use the full scope of practice to optimize patient care.” Making history as the first NP-led clinic in Canada, its impact on access to care is significant in that only orphan patients are accepted.
“Each new NP graduate is excited about entering practice and increasing access to primary health care in their area” Roberta Heale, Professor Laurentian University School of Nursing Pictured here are:. Back Row: Left to Right: Jana Carter, Daphne Demaine, Barbara Henderson, Judy Gillingham, Shauna Sturgeon, Chantal Gaudreau, Emily Greb, Kristine Rivest. Front Row: Amanda Glenn-Rainville, Brigitte Meilleur, Nicole Sokoloski, Nicole Foster-Welsh, Angelina Wiwczor.
For more information about the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics services see www.sdnpc.ca
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