Nurse practitioner encourages others to follow career path
When Southlander Narissa Weber saw the challenges her community was facing, she found a way to help address them.
The nurse practitioner was working as a rural mental health nurse and could see what was “out of my scope of practice“.
So, she expanded her scope of practice, training to be a nurse practitioner so she could “do things that are helpful right here, right now”.
Her 10 years of training was worth it when she could see tangible differences for the families she worked with at Southland Hospital’s child, adolescent and family service, she said.
“When we’ve reviewed their goals and they can say they’ve achieved them, and their level of functioning has improved... that would be success for me.”
Weber is one of a growing number of nurses who are furthering their studies to be able to diagnose, treat and prescribe medication.
Te Whatu Ora fully funded 121 places on the nurse practitioner training programme this year, recognising their role in helping to relieve pressure on the health system.
They go through rigorous training in their chosen speciality before being granted autonomy.
Nurse practitioners complete their three-year Bachelor of Nursing degree before doing a clinical masters, which takes at least four years, alongside at least four years of clinical practice, and then they go through at least 300 hours of direct clinical supervision on an intern programme.
They also have to pass an oral exam via an individual panel interview/assessment at Nursing Council NZ and to maintain their registration, they have to do another 40 hours of study each year.
Weber has specialised in cognitive behavioural therapy and Maudsley family therapy for eating disorders.
She gravitated towards mental health at the very beginning of her career, she said.
“I just felt like it was for me. It’s a great area to work in because you can really help people and make a difference.”
Weber believed it was important to look at mental health challenges holistically.
During an assessment, she’ll look at a patient’s past, the issue they’ve come to her about, their developmental history, their health and vital signs and, where relevant, learn about their cultural and spiritual needs.
“It’s giving me the opportunity to rule in and rule out diagnosis,” she explained.
“With mental health, anything could be contributing or impacting.”
Stressors came from such a wide range of challenges, Weber was unable to identify any trends.
Once she has a diagnosis, she will explain the condition and treatment options to patients and their families, before starting treatment.
“It’s all about education. Usually in conjunction with goals,” Weber said.
She encouraged nurses considering a career as a nurse practitioner to “go for it”.
“You have the level of authority to make decisions and ultimately help patients’ lives,” she said.
Health New Zealand chief nursing officer Emma Hickson said increasing the numbers of nurse practitioners in training was a key initiative of the Health Workforce Plan “to grow a highly skilled, sustainable, local workforce”.
“We know that nurse practitioners can improve patient outcomes, increase patient satisfaction and address issues of healthcare gaps in rural, remote and metropolitan areas,” she said.