When you think about going to the doctor, you probably picture a doctor. Maybe a nurse. But these days, there’s a good chance that one of the people taking care of you is a nurse practitioner.
And that’s not necessarily a consolation prize for people who couldn’t get an appointment with the doctor. Nurse practitioners are increasingly an important part of the healthcare team, particularly in a place like Southern Utah where getting access to medical care can sometimes be a challenge.
Jessica Lucchesi is a nurse practitioner with Intermountain Health Cedar City Hospital, and during a recent appearance on the Big Picture Morning Show on KSUB radio, she explained that advanced practice providers, which include nurse practitioners and physician assistants, can do quite a bit.
“So we do treatments and plans across lifespans of patients in different specialties, working closely with doctors and other medical professionals,” Lucchesi said.
Lucchesi started her career as a certified nursing assistant, became a registered nurse and eventually earned her nurse practitioner’s degree. She now specializes in women’s health, where she provides everything from physicals and contraceptive management to menopause treatment and screenings.
She also performs procedures such as IUD placements and endometrial biopsies.
One of the biggest advantages of having nurse practitioners available is pretty simple: somebody might actually be able to see you.
“I believe yes, the doctors, nurse practitioners, a lot of us have a lot on our plate and so we're here to assist and help kind of mitigate and take some of the toll off of the doctors but also work closely with them,” Lucchesi said.
And while access is important, Lucchesi says so is the personal connection between a patient and the person providing the care.
“I’m going to treat you as an individual and that I’m going to treat you not as a disease or anything else, but what you need when you come and see me,” she said.
That philosophy seems particularly important in women’s healthcare, where Lucchesi says some patients have struggled to find providers or simply to feel like they’re being heard.She also encourages women not to put off routine examinations and cancer screenings simply because some of them are uncomfortable.
“I think it's important to make sure to get your annual physicals and get your exams done and just to make sure that you do see your provider,” Lucchesi said.
In a healthcare system where everybody seems to have too much to do and not enough time to do it, nurse practitioners are helping fill some of those gaps. And sometimes, having one more qualified person available to listen may be just as important as having one more person available to treat you.
You can hear our full discussion with Lucchesi in the podcast below.
LOOK: Grilling Mistakes That Send Millions To The Hospital
Gallery Credit: Mike Brant
