About
Kim has been working as a nurse since 1994. She has experience doing direct patient care in the acute care setting including cardiac telemetry, ICU, Post Op Recovery, and Endoscopy. While in graduate school she worked in Clinical Informatics as an RN-project liaison coordinator during a hospital system Electronic Medical Record implementation. She is an alumnus of Regents College (ASN), Linfield College (BSN), and Gonzaga University (MSN-PMHNP).
What is a nurse practitioner?
A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced graduate education and training. NPs can assess, diagnose, and prescribe treatment for a variety of illnesses. NPs are required to have obtained at least a master’s degree in nursing in a chosen specialty and pass a national certifying examination. According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, there are over 234,000 NPs across the country, and Americans make over 870 million visits to nurse practitioners every year.
What does a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) do?
PMHNP’s serve the psychiatric-mental health population. We assess, diagnose, and treat individuals and families with psychiatric disorders or the potential for such disorders using our full scope of therapeutic skills, including prescribing medication and administering psychotherapy.
PMHNP’s often work in private or group practice, hospitals, community health clinics and in correctional institutions. Depending on our practice, we may teach university level and community-based classes; and consult with groups, communities, legislators, and corporations.
What is the difference between a nurse practitioner and a physician?
While physicians are trained through graduate medical school and a residency in their specialty, nurse practitioners have similar, but uniquely different training and experience. All nurse practitioners have completed basic nursing school, a rigorous process that can range from 18 months to 3 years. Most then practice as a nurse for several years before beginning graduate school. This is an important question to ask your nurse practitioner. How many years did you practice as an RN in a direct patient care setting? Preferably, the answer is at least 5 years or more in an acute care setting such as a hospital. There are programs out there that allow a new BSN graduate to bridge directly into a master’s or Doctor of Nursing Program, without working as an RN providing direct patient care. From a professional standpoint, having “bedside, direct patient care” on a medical, surgical, critical care unit, or emergency department setting is imperative. A master’s degree in nursing can take two to three years and includes highly specialized didactic training and extensive clinical practicum hours. In short, while we believe physicians provide excellent service, nurse practitioners pride themselves on caring for the bio-psycho-social aspects of a person – in other words, total wellness and recovery.
Doesn't a physician need to supervise a nurse practitioner?
Nurse practitioners have come a long way in establishing their roles as providers of medical care. For many years, nurse practitioners were not allowed to see patients without a physician closely supervising. They often could not prescribe medications or were highly limited on what medications they could prescribe. Now, at least 23 states have allowed for nurse practitioners to practice independently, without any association with a physician (full practice authority). In Oregon, all nurse practitioners can practice independently of a physician.