What is a Nurse Practitioner?

A nurse practitioner, or NP, is a licensed health care provider capable of evaluation and management of many illnesses and injuries. Initially, their health care career started as that of a registered nurse, or RN. With additional two or more years of education and advanced clinical training, these providers act as physician extenders in many areas of medicine, including family practice, pediatrics and neonatology, cardiology and women’s health.

Nurse practitioners can perform procedures and office exams, as well as write prescriptions. Their services are recognized and reimbursed by insurance companies for the care they provide to patients. At East Flagstaff Family Medicine, our nurse practitioners work closely with our physicians in reviewing cases, diagnoses and treatments. Given the increasing difficulty to access primary care in Arizona and across the country, nurse practitioners are welcome assets in our challenge to continually provide timely, appropriate and professional care.

Our nurse practitioners can, many times, spend more time with our patients with certain problems. This serves well in their role of managing chronic illness where education and understanding are vital to patients controlling their illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. As well, our providers act together as a team to provide your health care. Given this relationship, we are all here, physicians and nurse practitioners alike, to work collaboratively in providing care to all of our patients.

Your Flagstaff Family Doctors and Nurses!