Family Nurse Practitioner Ms. Yeung Interview

Ms. Yeung is a Family Nurse Practitioner employed through the Meridian Medical Group at RediClinic in Edison, NJ. She has three years of work experience in her specialty and can be reached at her professional work number (732) 744-0705.

Personal/Educational Background

Ms. Yeung started her healthcare career as a respiratory therapist in 2008 after getting her Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care (BSRC) from Community College in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. While working as a respiratory therapist, she stated that is where she found her true calling as a nurse and pursued Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. In 2013, Ms.Yeung started her nursing career. As a bedside nurse, it became apparent to Ms. Yeung that she can make more impact in patient-care if she assumes a healthcare provider role with more autonomy and leadership. Thus, in 2013 Ms. Yeung pursued Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in FNP at Walden University. Ms. Yeung stated she is professionally satisfied in her current healthcare provider role but wishes to explore what she can contribute as a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in the future. She is putting this plan on hold for now to focus on her three young children.

Current Practice

Ms. Yeung has worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner with RediClinic since 2016. The patient population she regularly sees at this clinic are non-high acuity patients. In addition, she stated that it is typical for a patient to visit regarding a minor health issue unrelated to the patient’s sometimes underlying chronic health condition. Her daily clinical practice includes assessing and evaluating patients, prescribing and educating patients and family members. Furthermore, she services 18 to 25 patients a day and gets evaluated based on the percentage of patients she has seen and patient satisfaction.

Role Competencies

In her daily clinical settings, Ms. Yeung stated she utilizes the 9 core competencies (scientific foundations, leadership, quality, practice inquiry, technology and information literacy

policy, health delivery system, ethics and independent practice) of a nurse practitioner as outlined by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) (2017) that she learned in graduate school. Ms. Yeung discussed several of the 9 core competencies but her “bread and butter” at her work centers on independent practice competency.

According to NONPF (2017), the independent practice competency refers to competent management of diagnosed and undiagnosed patients through utilizing advanced health assessment skills, diagnostic tests and lab and prescribing medication within the scope of practice. As previously stated, Ms. Yeung evaluates and diagnoses patients as part of her daily clinical setting. She utilizes a patient’s medical history, signs and symptoms and diagnostic labs to arrive at a diagnosis. On the other hand, Ms. Yeung stated she does not need to be in contract with a physician for a joint prescription because she does not prescribe controlled substances at her facility. According to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (2015), a nurse practitioner needs a joint protocol with a licensed physician to prescribe certain medications and devices. These medications include Schedule II through V including controlled drugs and substances (CDS). Furthermore, Ms. Yeung believes a big key aspect of managing her patients' conditions is through patient education. She ensures the patient or, if permitted, a family member understands a patient’s healthcare goals through utilizing the teach-back method. Ms. Yeung stated that most of her patients complain of having many daily personal responsibilities and favors the teach-back method because it is an “easy breakdown” of their healthcare goals. She also maintains her BLS and ACLS certifications to ensure the well-being of her patients while they visit her at her clinic.

Legal/Ethical Issues

According to Ms. Laina, legal issues are always a treat anywhere in the healthcare field. She discussed it is sometimes due to subjective opinions of unsatisfied patients. Ms. Laina provides her patients resource materials, assesses their understanding of the services and treatments provided and addresses all of their concerns to the best that she can to protect herself from lawsuits. Furthermore, she consults a physician when needed and refers her patients to a specialist if appropriate. Lastly, she maintains her malpractice insurance.

An ethical issue Ms. Laina had once encountered was when she tried to advocate for a patient but was limited by the policies of her facility and the constraints of the individual’s medical insurance. She found the experience somewhat disappointing and is her reason for wanting to pursue DNP later in her career.

Conclusion

The interview with Ms. Yeung was an insightful one as it provided a real-life application and demonstrated factors that strongly affect the scope and standard of practice of an advance nurse practitioner in daily practice. It also gave the writer a better understanding of professional goals to set for herself when she assumes the role of an advance practice nurse in the future.