Nurse Practitioners Equal Another Primary Care Option

Nurse practitioners are nurses who have undergone advanced training and are able to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, order lab work and imaging tests, and write prescriptions. They can manage many health conditions, teach health promotion and help patients with disease prevention.

�Saint Francis Healthcare System offers many nurse practitioners in its primary care clinics who benefit our patients because we can complement the care of a physician,� says Kimberly A. Keser, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, family nurse practitioner.

Nurse practitioners are trained under a nursing model, not a medical model, which provides a unique type of patient care. They provide high-quality, cost-effective care and can be a patient�s primary care provider, or be a great resource for patients who are having difficulty obtaining an appointment with their primary care physician.

�Rather than waiting a few weeks for an appointment, a patient can receive care within a few days,� says Keser. �A nurse practitioner can give a patient the attention he or she needs.�

To learn more about nurse practitioners at Saint Francis, call 573-331-3996.