Nurse practitioner numbers at all-time high on P.E.I.

The number of nurse practitioners is at all-time high for P.E.I. there are now about 50working in the province.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced education and specialized training.They diagnose,treat, prescribe medications, order tests and can make referrals to other specialists.

"In 2013 we had, I think, five nurse practitioners and now we've grown to 52 registered nurse practitioners and 1 nurse practitioner student," said the chair of the P.E.I. Nurse Practitioner Association, Chelsea Rogerson.

Nurse practitioners got off to a rough start on P.E.I. a pilot project in O'Leary ended in 2005 after doctors refused to work with them. Almost 15 years later, the association says NPs are widely accepted and welcomed.

"We have been so welcomed by the community," she said. "We have a lot to bring to the table."

Improved access

Rogersonruns her own practice out of the Parkdale Medical Centre in Charlottetown, as well as in collaboration with two physicians, there are two other nurse practitioners in the same building as well as doctors and other health professionals.

"We've seen great growth," she said. "It's really improving access I think."

Patient Gary Montgomery was on a patient registry list for a family doctor for 3 years, so when he heard about nurse practitioners he signed up. Montgomery is a cancer survivor and said he feels like he's well looked after now.

He was not familiar with nurse practitioners before he became a patient of Rogerson.

"I found out on my own that the position was available and that [Rogerson]was taking patients," Montgomery said.

"There's more of a feeling of being calm, let's investigate what we're dealing with."

'Do the most we can'

The P.E.I. Nurse Practitioner Associationwould like to see NPsget some of the same funding doctors get to cover office costs.

Rogerson said so-called service packagesare often offered to doctors to help pay for rent, staff and administration costs.

"When nurse practitioners are hired we don't have money allocated for rent, support staff, or supplies," she said.

Rogersonsaid if NPs end up doing administration work it's not the best use of their time.

"It just allows for the nurse practitioner to see more people," she said. "So we can do the most we can with the time we have."

She said service packages will help in efforts to recruit and retainnurse practitioners too.

She said the association is working with Health PEI on the issue.

Marion Dowling, chief nursing officer for P.E.I.,said that's a union issue.

"Their contract agreement is different, so that would be something that would have to be negotiated with the P.E.I. Nurses Union with respect to changing that," Dowling said.

Not physician replacements

Rogerson said when a nurse practitioner is brought into a communityto replace a doctor who has left, it's not an ideal situation.

"It leads to burn out, it leads to isolation, job dissatisfaction and then we can't retain nurse practitioners."

She said the ideal situation is to be part of a collaborative team.

I do expect nurse practitioner numbers to grow. Marion Dowling

Rogersonsaid in general things are going "quite well," and P.E.I.'s nurse practitioners are providing a lot of care for Islanders.

"As the population is aging, the need is there," she said.

Wait times down

Dr. Kris Saunders, who works with nurse practitionerTammy Smith, said wait times have been greatly reduced for people calling for an appointment.

"The wait time that I had was about two and a halfweeks, and since Tammy's been hereit's probably two and a half days or less," said Saunders.

Dowling said the province has received numerous requests from various communities and health centres who want nurse practitioners, and officials expect to hire more.

Dowling said NPs have really made a difference with offices that have a large number of patient files.

"It's about adding to that team, that now there can be a nurse practitioner in that mix as well," Dowling said.

Dowling said they are trying to develop collaborative practices and improve.

"I do expect nurse practitioner numbers to grow, because we just continue to have more and more interest."

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