More And More Nurse Practitioner Clinics Appearing

This past November 9 through the 15th was a special week for nurse practitioners throughout the United States. The reason for this was because this was National Nurse Practitioner week and the theme this year was ‘Your Partner in Health The Nurse Practitioner’. The healthcare community all over the country was celebrating and recognizing this position and doing all they could to promote it as a career choice for others. This field is growing all the time and there are now much more opportunities for nurse practitioners to get more involved in patient care.

If a registered nurse wants to specialize in a particular area then they will study to become a nurse practitioner with license to perform a number of routine care tasks. Writing prescriptions, running standard diagnostic tests and making routine diagnoses are some of the things the nurse practitioner will do. Nurse practitioners these days are very useful for doctors but there are also a number of nurse practitioner clinics in operation these days where primary care is provided for patients.

Appalachian Nurse Practitioner Clinic

If you want to see a fine example of nurse practitioner clinics then you need only look to Georgia to the Appalachian Nurse Practitioner Clinic. The clinic was opened in 2006 and has since provided services to roughly 5,000 patients. The clinic was originally established with the help of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in order to provide primary care for individuals living in the surrounding area. The great thing about this clinic and why it is so successful is that patients can get nearly all the same services that their local doctor would provide but the cost is significantly lower.

Because of the growth in the demand for affordable health care, we are starting to see clinics like these popping up all over the United States. Support for these new clinics is being offered by the HRSA by way of grants. A further grant of $1.8 million has just been provided to the Appalachian clinic so that it can expand its operations. The reason the HRSA is supporting these nurse practitioner clinics is so that those with limited financial resources will be able to access affordable health care.

A Similar Story is Occurring in Canada

Although some would prefer if nurse practitioner clinics were appearing more quickly here in the States, in Canada, the idea is spreading like wildfire. A new clinic has just opened this week in Saulte St. Marie and this clinic can provide care for over 3,000 patients every year. There has even been a program developed by the government in Ontario which hopes to encourage the opening of more nurse practitioner clinics so that the health care needs of citizens are met. It is these clinics which are starting to become part and parcel of the Canadian healthcare system.

Becoming a nurse practitioner is a really good idea for anyone interested in the field of healthcare. You can specialize in many different areas such as cardiology, pediatrics, family practice and urology to name a few. With the nation being short on healthcare workers at the moment, you won’t have much trouble finding a good job which is also great news. In this job, you will benefit from a fantastic salary as well as benefits and you will also have the added peace of mind of stability as well as job satisfaction from helping others.