Three Essential Ways a Nurse Practitioner Can Help You

Are you the type that is quick to call your doctor or rush to the emergency room at the first sign of illness, infection, or injury? While there is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself, sometimes there is a better solution that isn’t quite as extreme as a hospital emergency room visit.

Nurse practitioners are something that not everyone is familiar with, but within the medical industry they are being heralded as the future of primary care. In fact, there is a real trend among families here in the country that are now using a family nurse practitioner as their primary health care provider. Curious about how they may be able to benefit you and if you should be looking for one? Here are three essential ways they can help you.

A Family Doctor Can be Hard to Find

One complaint that people have all across the country is that a family doctor can be hard to find. Not only may there be very few to choose from in your town or city, but you can end up on a waiting list and not even get your first-choice doctor in the end. This is where family nurse practitioners are really stepping in and closing the gap if you will.

Statistics show that there are more than 200,000 nurse practitioners in the country, which means there are plenty to choose from. Because they can act as your primary source of healthcare, you can visit them to be assessed, diagnosed, and even prescribed medication.

As the demand for more of these nurse practitioners grows, so do the available programs and courses for those looking to follow the career path. Post graduate certificate programs in nursing at schools such as Carson-Newman offer advanced studies that also feature a holistic skillset for nurses. This benefits their patients even more.

They Can Educate You on Prevention and Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Another way these nurse practitioners are helping people is by educating them on disease and illness prevention, and how to make healthy lifestyle choices. This information can be used in your everyday life to better improve your health, and thereby reduce the amount of doctor and hospital visits you will need. Preventative measures are always the best way to go, but often a professional is needed in order to give you these tips and information.

It should also be noted that they can offer counseling on a variety of medical related topics, again closing that gap.

They Can Help Patients Access Health as Well as Social Services

Because nurse practitioners take on a more holistic approach to medical care, they are able to also help get patients access to not just medical but also social services. Nurse practitioners are looking at the patient as a whole, not just one injury, or illness to diagnose. Sometimes that requires social services.

Well Worth Looking Into

So, if you haven’t yet looked into how a nurse practitioner can help you with your medical health – both physically and mentally – then you may want to take a closer look.

The post Three Essential Ways a Nurse Practitioner Can Help You appeared first on Just Naturally Healthy.

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