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4 • NOVEMBER 2013 TRINITY HEALTH HEALTHTALKNurse Practitioners“What’s the differencebetween you and adoctor?” It’s a questionthat nurse practitionershear every now and thenfrom their patients.For more than 45 years,nurse practitioners(NPs) have providedpatient-centeredhealthcare to people ofall ages in all parts ofthe globe. Yet it’s notsurprising that manypatients who benefitfrom that care aren’tquite clear on whatdistinguishes a nursepractitioner from adoctor or a nurse.“NPs have a graduate,advanced education withmost having a master’sdegree and an increasingnumber havedoctorates”, said PamPearson, FNP-C, a familynurse practitioner at theCancerCare Center.November 10-16 isNational NursePractitioner Week, anopportunity to celebratethe nurse practitionerand the role they play inhealthcare.“As NPs, we haveacquired formaleducation to practice inan advanced role asdirect healthcareproviders,” said HeatherBoyko, FNP-C, a nursepractitioner in Trinity’sInterventional Radiologyservice. “We providecomplete history andphysical examinations,diagnose and treat manycommon acute andchronic conditions,interpret lab results andx-rays, prescribe andmanage medications andother therapies.”Sally Eberle, FNP-C, afamily nurse practitionerat Convenient Care, sayspatients typically wantto know if NPs canwrite prescriptions. “Wecan and do,” Eberle said.“We need to obtain aDEA license like anyother provider, but yes,we write prescriptions.”What is a nursepractitioner?According to theAmerican Association ofNurse Practitioners(AANP), a nursepractitioner is anadvanced practice nursewho has receivedmaster’s or doctoratelevel training andextensive clinicalpreparation to provideprimary, acute andspecialty healthcareservices. Their servicesinclude, but are notlimited to: evaluatingpatients’ health status,ordering andinterpreting diagnostictests, and prescribingtreatment regimens,such as medications.Just as importantly, theywork as partners withtheir patients, guidingthem to make educatedhealthcare decisions andhealthy lifestyle choices.Not all NPs practice in aprimary care or familypractice setting. TrinityHealth relies on NPs ofall specialties to enhancethe practice in areassuch as Cardiology,Orthopedics, andOncology. Theconfidence that patientshave in NP-deliveredhealthcare is evidencedby the more than 916million visits made toNPs each year, AANPnotes.“Our training is based onthe nursing model thatemphasizes healthpromotion, wellness andprevention,” Pearsonexplained. “We maywork in independentpractice or collaboratewith other healthcareprofessionals.”As the U.S. faces thechallenges of an agingpopulation, risinghealthcare costs and thegrowing burden ofchronic disease, NPs dobring strength to thehealthcare workforceand maximize theresources available toaddress these challenges.“We can providehigh-quality, cost-effectivehealthcare,” Boykoadded. “With our blendof nursing preparationand experience, NPs arequalified to provide thepatient-centered carethat is central tomeeting the existing andfuture healthcare needs.”Trinity Health’s providernetwork includesapproximatelythirty-one nurseNovember 10-16National NursePractitioner Weekpractitioners, as well asother mid-levelproviders.TETWP Nets Record FundraisingThis year, 2013 was arecord year forfundraising for ToughEnough to Wear Pink.Near the rodeo’s end onOctober 11, the largenovelty check associatedwith fundraisers wasunveiled, announcingthat $101,675 had beenraised.“I thought it was a greatsuccess,” said Jodi Smith,director of the TrinityHealth Foundation. Incomparison with lastyear, this year’s TETWPfundraising nettedalmost 100 percentmore; in 2012, $53,208was raised.A new addition to thisyear’s fundraising wasthe live auction of aHarley Davidsonmotorcycle –embellished,appropriately for theoccasion, with pink – atthe end of the rodeo onFriday. Originally, themotorcycle had beenraffled off during arecent fundraiserorganized by Kickstandsfor Cancer. However,when Magic City-HarleyDavidson discovered thewinner of the raffle wasnot a bike rider, theypurchased themotorcycle back fromhim and donated it toTETWP, Smith noted.The bike fetched$19,500 at the auctionheld October 11.Trinity Health’s CancerExercise RehabProgram is fundedprimarily from theproceeds of the ToughEnough to Wear Pinkcampaign. The programhelps fight againstradiation- orchemotherapy-relatedfatigue by offeringYMCA memberships tocancer patients; it isfunded from eventssuch as the ToughEnough to Wear Pinkfundraising, as well asother fundraising eventsheld throughout theyear, in addition todonations receiveddirectly from the publicand other organizations.Currently, there are 13patients participating inthe program, saidRussell Gust, an exercisephysiologist with TrinityHealth, who managesthe program. Patientscan participate in theprogram for threemonths before they‘graduate,’ Gust said,This year’s Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign raised more than $101,000 to help cancer patientsparticipate in Trinity Health’s Cancer Exercise Rehab program. Pictured are, from left, Anne Thordahl,WGO and The Zoo; Russell Gust, Trinity Health Exercise Physiology Coordinator; Kim Whittemore,Minot Bands Together; Cassidy Kersten, SRT; and Cory Schmaltz, Kickstands for Cancer. MinotBands Together and Kickstands for Cancer donate proceeds from their respective events to TETWP.adding that “I had alarge group graduate thismonth. The programaverages about 16patients a month, withthe record being 21, andthis month we had our300th patient graduatefrom the program.”Gust noted that throughsponsorships with MinotBands Together,Kickstands for Cancer,Magic City-HarleyDavidson, SRT, as wellas WGO and The Zoo,the fundraising effortsare successful. “Theresponse of thecommunity to this effortcontinues to be beyondbelief,” he added. “Onbehalf of all of ourpatients, I would like tothank the people in andaround the communityof Minot. It is onlythrough their generositythat we are able to helppeople feel better.”Donations can be sentdirectly to the TrinityHealth Foundation, P.O.Box 5020, Minot, ND58702. Additionalinformation about theTrinity HealthFoundation can befound at:http://www.trinityhealthfoundationnd.org/.Join us at facebook.com/TrinityHealth.NDTrinity Health’s Speaker’s BureauCall our Community Education Department at 857-5099 to check for available dates and topics.