Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics
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Nurse Practitioners call on Province to Boost Funding

Jennifer Clement, the Executive Director of the SDNPC addressed the Queens Park Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs at a hearing at the Holiday Inn on Regent Street. She spoke to the issues our health system faces and the role that nurse practitioner clinics can play in helping to resolve them.

For the full details, please read the articles linked below.

Sudbury.com

TheSudburyStar.com

In the News

As many residents in Ontario are aware, it is very difficult to find a family  physician that is taking new patients. However, these new clinics provide a  different model of care that could help many people throughout Ontario.  "These clinics have the expertise to prevent illness, manage chronic conditions  and treat people when ill," said David McNeil, president of the  Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario in a press release.
NP's must obtain a four-year university nursing degree and have at least two  years of clinical experience before applying to the two-year nurse practitioner  certificate program that is combined with a master's degree. They are trained to treat common illnesses and injuries, order lab tests, X-rays,  and other diagnostic tests, as well as provide immunizations and order medications.


"In these clinics, NP's become the primary care provider," said Ms.  Sanders. "They provide continuing care to patients because they are registered  to these clinics."
One of the differences between these clinics and walk in clinics is that patients'  health is monitored. Ms. Butcher explained that while patients may go to a  walk-in  clinic to get a refill on diabetes medication, these clinics take the time  to  ask questions to find out whether a patient's diabetes has improved, if they  have changed their diet, and what side effects they have been experiencing. 

Another reason this new model stands out is that NP's work in a team based  environment  alongside doctors, nurses and other specialists to provide patients with quality  care.
"We're a team. Physicians and other specialists are very much a part of  the clinics," said Ms. Butcher. "We utilize everyone's skills."


On cases that go beyond NP's scope of practice, physicians step in to address  the patient's needs. Instead of seeing patients for routine health issues that  a NP could solve, doctors are able to spend time on more complicated health  problems. Joanna Binch, a nurse practitioner at the Ottawa Mission's  Primary Health Care Clinic said she was thrilled to hear about the wave of  new  applications and could not say enough positive things about her job and the  opportunities that these new clinics will provide.   "It's an opportunity to use our full scope of practice and utilize the  skills we have," she said. Ms. Binch explained that when she is asked to refer patients to family doctors,  there are very few accepting in Ottawa. She said she believes that Ottawa could  really benefit from having one of these clinics open in the city. "They offer a comprehensive care model with an increased return rate,"  she said. "A lot of people are really keen on having holistic care."

The call for applications closed on June 25 and applicants will be selected  from groups or individuals from across the province such as registered non-profit  organization, local community-based organizations and nurse practitioners.  The  new clinics will be awarded this summer. "Being an NP is a great job and we strongly advocate good health care,"  Ms. Binch said. "We do a good job and we know our limits and these clinics could really  make a positive difference in increasing people's access to primary health  care."

 

Go to source web page: Nurse practitioner led clinics a new option in healthcare  - FPinfomart.ca

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March 2024
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