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Jordan
Student
Joliet, Illinois
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What would be a typical day?
What would be a typical day in the work force as a Nurse Practitioner?
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3 answers
Natalie Williamson
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
3
Answers
Grantham, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Natalie’s Answer
A typical day in Urgent Treatment would start with logging into the system following a handover of the clinic status.
I work with minor injuries/illness, which means I can assess patients with common illnesses, minor wounds, sprains, soft tissue and muscle damage. Assessment for fractures and suturing of superficial wounds.
Once assessed, the patients are diagnosed and treated, either by prescribing of medicine or further investigation then referral onto another service.
You have to be able to work on instinct with more acutely ill patients that may require hospital admission. This requires knowledge and experience to deliver the best patient outcome.
I work with minor injuries/illness, which means I can assess patients with common illnesses, minor wounds, sprains, soft tissue and muscle damage. Assessment for fractures and suturing of superficial wounds.
Once assessed, the patients are diagnosed and treated, either by prescribing of medicine or further investigation then referral onto another service.
You have to be able to work on instinct with more acutely ill patients that may require hospital admission. This requires knowledge and experience to deliver the best patient outcome.
Natalie Williamson
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
3
Answers
Grantham, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Natalie’s Answer
Remember this is ONE area of medicine. The field of learning is huge. Once you have finished medical school and learned your basics in assessment and diagnosis you’ll be ready to specialise in an area of interest. The learning never ceases.
The only thing I could decide on from the very beginning was if I wanted to be involved in medical or surgical practice and looking back it was an excellent place to start!!
Explore the different fields of medicine
Speak with different types of physician
The costs vary and the wrong choice will easily set you back financially
The only thing I could decide on from the very beginning was if I wanted to be involved in medical or surgical practice and looking back it was an excellent place to start!!
Natalie recommends the following next steps:
Mary-Kate Uy
Nurse Practitioner
1
Answer
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Updated
Mary-Kate’s Answer
I'm not sure there is a typical day in the life of a NP. Careers range from teaching at a university, working at an ER, working in a clinic setting, to minor surgery, to making home visits. A typical day will vary depending on what area a person chooses to work.
I work two part time positions. One, is a clinic at a residential living facility for older adults. I see patients for mostly minor health issues, chronic health issues and often emergency situations. I order and review labs. I order and review results of many different diagnostic tests. I complete a lot of patient and family teaching about health, wellness and conditions. I help older adults and family transition to more care and sometimes end of life. Two, I do home and nursing home visits to perform assessments to help a hospice physician determine eligibility for hospice care. I use my critical thinking skills, education and experience to help determine why a patient should or should not continue on hospice care. Most patients continue on hospice but a few "graduate" and are discharged from hospice.
I take call for both positions. Basically, I'm available for a nurse to call me after hours. I don't usually get too many calls. Calls are usually asking for a new pain medication, to discontinue a medication or a refill as a patient is about to run out of an important medication.
I serve on several committees including a COVID resource team, a transitional living team and an ethics team. The COVID team helps strategize ways to decrease COVID in our facility. The transitional living team helps to guide patients when it's time to move to a higher level of care. Ethics discusses challenging organizational issues.
I work two part time positions. One, is a clinic at a residential living facility for older adults. I see patients for mostly minor health issues, chronic health issues and often emergency situations. I order and review labs. I order and review results of many different diagnostic tests. I complete a lot of patient and family teaching about health, wellness and conditions. I help older adults and family transition to more care and sometimes end of life. Two, I do home and nursing home visits to perform assessments to help a hospice physician determine eligibility for hospice care. I use my critical thinking skills, education and experience to help determine why a patient should or should not continue on hospice care. Most patients continue on hospice but a few "graduate" and are discharged from hospice.
I take call for both positions. Basically, I'm available for a nurse to call me after hours. I don't usually get too many calls. Calls are usually asking for a new pain medication, to discontinue a medication or a refill as a patient is about to run out of an important medication.
I serve on several committees including a COVID resource team, a transitional living team and an ethics team. The COVID team helps strategize ways to decrease COVID in our facility. The transitional living team helps to guide patients when it's time to move to a higher level of care. Ethics discusses challenging organizational issues.