What I do

Hi and welcome to Health Care Insights!

Why would you read my blog? I am going to attempt to give you some insights from behind the white coat. 

I am Rebecca and I am a Family Practice Nurse Practitioner, also known as FNP. I work in a clinic in a small town in Montana and absolutely love my job.  I take care of patients on a daily basis and teaching them anything makes me love my job. I love to teach.

What is a Nurse Practitioner? It isn't an easy question to answer. The short answer is I am the person you see when you go to the "doctor's office" and don't see a doctor. Another short answer is that I am like a PA, if you know what a PA is.

The truth is, I can't tell you that I am like a doctor because I work with doctors every day. They have a lot more education and training than I do and it would be presumptuous of me to say. I do similar things to a family practice doctor. I see patients and examine them, order tests and prescribe medications. It fits well with my personality because I do well with new challenges daily. I can tell you I had no idea how challenging it would be when I started!

The most challenging thing about being a FNP is time. I worry about giving each patient enough time so that they get what they need, and I worry about the next patient who may have to wait if I take too long. I don't wear a watch, which helps me to be attentive to the patient I am with. I don't have to leave the watch at home, but I like the symbolism.

Before I was a nurse,  I had a surgeon who was 4 hours late for my family member's surgery. He told us when he came in that he had been with a woman with newly diagnosed breast cancer and she needed him. That impressed me. When I became the one "in charge" I wanted to be sure to rise to that level of care and compassion.

My pet peeve of the day is when a doctor of any kind doesn't know what a FNP is. I had a physician call me once when I was on call for the clinic (which includes me, two family practice physicians and an internal medicine physician). He told me if I couldn't find someone to make a decision about a patient, I should send them to the Emergency Room. The gentleman was very condescending and rude. He was not aware of my position, training or responsibility and treated me like a staff nurse. Unfortunately, the staff nurse is the most picked on, disdained,  and undervalued position in medicine. The good ones are good because they are fearless. They stand up for the patient no matter who challenges them. I decided it wasn't worth fighting with the physician since I sent the patient to the ER anyway. Rant over.