General News
15 December, 2022
Celebrating our local nurse practitioners
The local health service is acknowledging the important role nurse practitioners play in supporting the community and healthcare system during Nurse Practitioner Week. The Australian College of Nurse Practitioners-run week takes place across...
The local health service is acknowledging the important role nurse practitioners play in supporting the community and healthcare system during Nurse Practitioner Week.
The Australian College of Nurse Practitioners-run week takes place across December 12 to 18 and this year’s theme is ‘Nurse Practitioners: the essential difference in healthcare’.
Maryborough District Health Service (MDHS) executive director of nursing and midwifery Robyn Wilson said nurse practitioners provide an essential difference in healthcare, particularly in rural areas.
“Nurse practitioners are highly qualified nurses with the expertise to diagnose and treat people with a variety of acute or chronic conditions,” she said.
“They are driven by values of kindness, care, empathy, and a desire to help which brings so many positive outcomes for our patients, residents and their families.”
Nurse practitioners have completed an approved Masters Degree and the equivalent of at least three years of practice in advanced nursing.Nurse practitioners can prescribe medications, order and interpret pathology and radiology tests, initiate and receive referrals from health professionals, and can admit and treat patients in hospitals.
MDHS has three nurse practitioners working in the hospital, community and aged care, as well as an aspiring nurse practitioner who is undertaking postgraduate studies to qualify.
Nurse practitioners help ease the pressures on the healthcare system, Ms Wilson said, and can also support local GPs who are in high demand in rural areas.
“Our nurse practitioners provide strong patient-focused and person-centred care,” Ms Wilson said.
“With an aging population and high incidence of chronic health conditions in the region, the role our nurse practitioners play in connecting our community to great care is vital while helping to alleviate the pressures on the healthcare system.
“In addition to providing high standards of care, nurse practitioners work closely with local GPs to provide ongoing treatment, monitoring and input into care plans in their area of expertise.
“This model is the way of the future as it can help support the work and reduce demands on GPs, particularly in rural areas where there is a shortage of GPs and people often need to travel to access specialist care.”