Nurse Practitioners | Consultancy

So what’s a nurse practitioner?

The Nurse Practitioner role provides a new level of service to our community. It is designed to provide timely access to healthcare for all Australians.

Australian College of Nurse Practitioners

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nurse practitioner brochures
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urse practitioners (NPs) belong to a group of healthcare professionals who have been widely-researched to examine their credibility, efficacy and use in diverse healthcare settings internationally. Since the profession’s birth in the United States in the 1960s, its model has extended to approximately 70 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The profession’s aim is to improve access to treatment, provide cost-effective care, target at-risk populations, provide outreach services to rural and remote communities and provide clinical mentorship and expertise.

The first two NPs were authorised in New South Wales in 2000 and numbers have grown steadily. The latest figures from July 2014 registration data collected by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) reveal that there are 1084 NPs endorsed throughout Australia. The 2012 Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP) national member survey showed that NPs working in Australia are practicing in diverse settings and speciality areas, ranging from emergency departments (30%) to general practice environments (8%), with the majority (71%) working solely for the public sector.

There are four key elements which define the advanced, extended and collaborative role of NPs in Australia:

Advanced knowledge, skills and expertise in diagnostic assessment and reasoning
The ability to independently prescribe medicines
The ability to independently order and interpret diagnostic tests (pathology, imaging studies, etc)
The ability to independently refer to medical specialists

The type of care I provide as an NP focuses on person-centred, holisitic health and wellbeing approaches. Although I can treat your illness, I’d rather prevent it in the first instance.

Chris Helms, Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner

What kind of NP are you?

I am a Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner who is a generalist with special interest and expertise in the management of heart disease.

I provide healthcare for the episodic minor complaint, as well as ongoing care for complex healthcare needs which require time, individualised care and expert attention.

I am authorised to provide care for clients of all ages, including:

Preventative healthcare, such as:

Immunisations
Action plans for chronic conditions
General wellness checks
Skin checks
Sexual health
Pre-employment physical assessments
Smoking cessation counselling and treatment
Assistance with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
Nutrition and exercise support

Minor illnesses and injuries, such as:

Coughs, colds and infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract
Sprains, strains and minor breaks
Rashes, abrasions, and minor lacerations

Chronic disease and case management for conditions, such as:

Cardiovascular disease (blood pressure, heart disease, cholesterol, etc)
Lung disease (asthma, emphysema, etc)
Joint and muscle conditions (arthritis, osteoporosis, etc)
Mental health issues (depression, anxiety, etc.)

Minor procedures, such as:

Spirometry, ECGs and 24 Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
Skin lesion biopsy and excision
Laceration repairs
Implanon insertion and removal
Miscellaneous procedures (toenail removal, abscess drainage, cryotherapy for warts, etc)

What can’t you do?

There are many services NPs aren’t allowed to provide under the Medicare Benefits Schedule, as Australian Department of Health policy has not caught up with Commonwealth legislation. There are also restrictions at the State/Territory level which prevent NPs from working to their full scope of practice. Examples of these include:

Providing referrals to allied health professionals (dietitians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, etc)
Workers compensation claims
Driver’s license medicals
Approval of “GP Chronic Disease” or “Mental Health Management Plans”
Ordering certain diagnostic imaging (for example, CT, MRI and certain ultrasound examinations)

In the event a client presents with the above needs, I am able to expedite a referral to a general practitioner to obtain the necessary care.

Do the above restrictions sound ridiculous? I think so too! The most common referral I would make for a client is to an allied health professional for holistic care!

These restrictions result in duplication of care and increasing healthcare expenditures. If you’d like to find out how to lobby your local member in order to advocate for NPs so we can provide these services, please contact me!