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| Home > Healthy People > July 2004 |
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Mid-level providers extend physician-patient relationship
Many St. John’s patients arrive at their clinic expecting to be treated by
their physician. Depending on the nature of their appointment, they may
see a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, often referred to as
“physician extenders” or “mid-level care providers,” instead. St. John’s
employs about 75 nurse practitioners and physician assistants across the
health system.
 Mid-level providers serve in collaborative roles with physicians in all
specialties in acute care and clinic settings. Both nurse practitioners
and physician assistants are nationally certified and state licensed to
provide diagnostic, treatment and follow-up care under the direction of a
physician. They provide patients with primary and specialized care and can
diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries. Because they have more time to
spend with patients, nurse practitioners and physician assistants often
focus on disease education and prevention.
St. John’s nurse practitioner Jana Hyden, MSN, RNC, WHNP, has spent the
majority of her career working in women’s health. An OB/GYN nurse for 10
years, Hyden decided a few years ago she wanted more autonomy in her
career and more opportunities to provide individualized patient care, so
she went back to school to become a women’s health nurse practitioner.
Hyden has worked alongside the physicians at St. John’s Clinic - OB/GYN-
Fremont for two years.
She says the main difference between nurse practitioners and physician
assistants is their training, not the type of care they provide.
“Most nurse practitioners have master’s degrees in nursing and clinical
training in specialties, while physician assistants receive PA training,”
Hyden says.
Nurse practitioner Marjorie Farabee, RN, CPNP, and physician assistant Ann
McVey, RN, PA, practice with family medicine physicians at St. John’s
Clinic – HealthTracks in Springfield.
Farabee has been a registered nurse for 20 years. She became a pediatric
nurse practitioner eight years ago. McVey was a registered nurse for 23
years before becoming a physician assistant.
“Pediatrics is the type of work that I truly enjoy. I always come back to
pediatrics as my first love,” Farabee says. “The relationships that I have
with kids and their families is the number one thing that I enjoy about
being a nurse practitioner. Those relationships that you develop are so
important. Equally, I value the professional relationships with the people
that I work with.”
Farabee also values the collaborative relationship she has with the
physicians at HealthTracks.
“We are very team oriented,” she says about her relationship with her
supervising physician, HealthTracks pediatrician Bernard Griesemer, M.D.
“We are on the same page as far as what kind of care we want to deliver.
Our goal is to provide quality care to the children and their families. I
think that our styles and the quality of care and the way that we provide
it are very complementary to one another.”
Farabee sees as many as 50 pediatric patients each day. She performs
routine check-ups and treats children with illnesses and injuries.
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