​One of the most common questions that I get asked on an almost daily basis is "what the heck is a nurse practitioner anyway"?

I have been asked this question through social media and as well on a regular basis as I attend to patients in house calls and at the clinic sites where we offer medical care.

In this video, I attempt to answer this question which is challenging to do because there's so much depth and complexities involved with the way NP’s provide care but hopefully I'll give you a good idea about what Nurse Practitioner care encompasses.

Nurse practitioners (NP) started their career as a nurse which gave them the expert skills of therapeutic communication, caring, holistic care, advocacy and so much more that they now bring into their everyday practice while providing medical care!  Medical care provided with the philosophy and approach of a nurse is what makes NP's unique and different!

The NP on Wheels program (www.nponwheels.com) offers house calls and on-site care for patients of all ages and even though we are private (cash-based practice), we have numerous patients who decide to become our regular patients even though their income is low and they depend on disability and income assistance to live.   

We service all levels of the socioeconomic status as patients and offer a holistic approach to primary care, de-prescribing programs and provide addiction care, mental health services and so much more for all ages.  People can choose to have a Nurse Practitioner as their primary care provider instead of having a physician in our health care system and many people are not aware of this.

In fact, I tell my patients…if they ask you who your “family doctor” is, I get them to say “my family doctor is a Nurse Practitioner”.   This is the question (“who is your family doctor?”) that patients get asked all of the time when they attend a clinic or the emergency room despite the fact that there are thousands of Nurse Practitioners across the country that patients see exclusively for their family care.  Our system is definitely way behind when NP’s have been independent now for many years.   They should be asking patients “who is your current primary care provider” as this would make far more sense!

Anyways, Nurse Practitioners are advance practice nurses who have studied medical care and who can provide a full scope of medical care including prescriptions, arrange diagnostic testing (blood, CT, MRI, ultrasound etc), diagnose and treat conditions and refer to specialists when needed.   We bring medical care to people with the thinking of a nurse, which makes us very unique and different than the way regular medical care is provided.   Its not an easy concept to understand as there are many related complexities that are hard to completely define here, but hopefully this post and video gives you a good idea!

In the next videos, i will be giving case examples which highlights just HOW a nurse practitioner care is unique and different.   If you have any specific  questions you would like answered in this regard, please ASK!  

You  can comment here, email admin@npautonomy.com or if you are a Nurse Practitioner who would like to get into independent practice, please sign up for more information at www.npautonomy.com and SHARE with other NP’s as well that you think may be interested!

I have to admit, social media is a fun place to ask questions. It is very interesting to hear the questions that come out when you ask for them! I am planning on doing videos to address all questions and will post the answers widely. Chances are, if one person has the question, then many more will also be thinking the same questions in their mind as well.   My original question just in case you did not see the social media post was this...  "Ask any questions you have about the health care system, concerns,  or Nurse Practitioners?"

So what's the question I received this time?

The question I got that I am responding to here, was "Why did you decide to start a private clinic here? ... ( and in Manitoba??)" The story about why I started a private clinic is potentially a very long and convoluted one… However, I make an effort to make it as concise as possible. Inside our healthcare system is much inefficiency and dissatisfaction amongst both patients and healthcare providers. I've been on both sides of this as a patient (myself and my family) and as a healthcare provider!

As a health care provider, I am full time private practice...

Here in Manitoba, we operate a private practice under the clinic name Nurse Practitioner (NP) on Wheels....and have been going strong since 2017. We provide urgent care, full primary care services for all ages, palliative care, care for special needs and many specialty services. We are known for building caring relationships with our patients and for giving 100% of our attention to you when it is your turn for care. This alone has contributed to over 80 % of the patients we come in contact with making the decision to have a Nurse Practitioner from our service as their sole primary care provider. We take pride in providing outstanding care every time we come in contact with a patient and are committed to this.

So why a private clinic?

The reason for a private clinic, was that I could see that so many types of patients literally could NOT get their needs met in our system the way it is set up. There is not enough time in appointments to address concerns and properly reassess medications which is a SYSTEM problem in the way providers are paid. Most providers are not entirely happy with the fee-for-service system either...and patients certainly ARE NOT.

I am a problem solver by nature and decided that moving outside the system was a better way to address the gaps and come up with creative solutions. There are many patient populations with high needs where gaps needed to be filled. Patients with multiple conditions and many prescriptions need more time than the regular system can offer. Patients with chronic pain, opiate use or other substance use conditions require much more time and attention than other patients. Also, patients really want to understand their care and medications these days and the standard health care system is just not set up to cater to the modern day patient who wants more information!

So what now?

If you are a patient and would love to hear more about what we offer as a clinic, be sure to sign up at www.myvirtualNP.com. If you are a nurse practitioner who is interested in becoming independent and being able to finally provide the kind of patient centred care you were always meant to, be sure to get your name in at www.npautonomy.com.

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Diane Gudmundson Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada Irrationally Passionate about defending and advocating for the NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s and with Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email: admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/nponwheels
Private Practice: www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog: www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the movement here! www.NPautonomy.com
Call/Text: 204-870-0652

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To become part of the NP independence and autonomy movement, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities! www.NPautonomy.com
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Subscribe to this awesome you-tube channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw 

​As I am working with NPs, I get asked many questions that bring back memories of when I first started a private practice. There are so many myths about health care rules and many opinions (not always accurate), that cause some people to over-react when there is a new out-of-the-box idea that takes shape.   

Tonight, I decided to post a quick video after an NP asked me...how are we supposed to deal with the backlash from people who call what we are doing a "Two Tier" system?   I remember when I first started, the socialist stream of society had a few negative things to say about it.  However, I knew deep down that there were many people who just did not understand how the system worked or how the Canada Health Act (CHA) was set up.   In fact, nurses, physio, Nurse Practitioners and many other health care providers are indeed NOT insured under the CHA  and the other fact is, that there has been a mix of public and private services already for many years and its just smoke and mirrors for certain types of people (but we wont get into the details).

Ultimately, Private NP's are able to provide a unique and MUCH needed service to the public and yes, it is private pay, but its also patient centred and highly desirable compared to some of the services out there now.   I have been in private practice now for 2 years and I can say with certainty that patients want good care, even if it has a cost attached.  The fact is, we service patients from every socioeconomic level and its not just a service for people that are well-off.

So private NP's  ..  keep up the good work and the patients absolutely appreciate everything you do so don't shed any tiers over this one :)
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Diane Gudmundson 
Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada
Irrationally Passionate about defending and advocating for the NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s and with Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email:  admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/NPautonomy
Private Practice:  www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog:   www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the movement here!   www.NPautonomy.com

Call/Text:  204-870-0652

============================================

To become part of the NP independence and autonomy movement, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities!   
www.NPautonomy.com

============================================

Subscribe to this awesome you-tube channel!   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw

Hi...I am Diane Gudmundson, Nurse practitioner now for almost 15 years.   Welcome to the world of NP Independence!!

As an NP, I have been through red tape, bureaucracy issues, painful experiences by not being recognized for what I am or what i offer as an NP!  I truly LOVED my work with patients, but it was constantly being interfered with by some BS union issue, limitations, poor leadership and so much more.  

Finally after practicing for almost 14 years, i walked away from public practice and started my own NP independent practice.   ...now WHAT a difference this was!   I could provide REAL patient-centered care, I could spend time with patients if they needed it and realized WOW, this is so much more rewarding work and it made such a difference for my patients too!   

Once I was outside the system, I could see just how bad the system and the work environment really was.   This  created many AHA moments for me and i just knew I would NEVER EVER go back to that....no way!  

If, as an NP, you are truly seeking a more rewarding work environment and you want to learn more, get your name onto the waitlist for the upcoming webinar where I will be giving an overview of how this works...  There is SUCH opportunity out there for NP's and we just have to learn how to do it and create a movement of us in independent practice who see things differently.   THIS will truly give us the recognition we deserve and will create demand for our services where it needs to be coming from the MOST!  ...more on this coming your way...its truly exciting!

Be sure to get your name and email on the list www.NPautonomy.com! :)

Diane :)
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INFO:
Diane Gudmundson 
Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada
Irrationally Passionate about defending and advocating for the NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s and with Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email:  admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/nponwheels
Private Practice:  www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog:   www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the movement here!   www.NPautonomy.com

Call/Text:  204-870-0652

============================================

To become part of the NP independence and autonomy movement, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities!   
www.NPautonomy.com

============================================

Subscribe to this awesome you-tube channel!   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw

​NP in independent practice have the capacity to change the face of health care, no matter where they are!   "Change the world" I say!  Seriously, I have been working in health care for 25 years now, and dramatic change is definitely in order!   

I left the public health care system to start a private practice because i felt the system was a total embarrassment and I just could not work in it any longer.  And yes, it was not an easy decision as I left my retirement plan (5 years to magic 80) and 27,000 union seniority hours as an NP alone behind!   Once the decision was made, I realized it didn't matter, as I NEVER had any intention of working a union job again in my life and that I deserved to be happy in my work and making the REAL difference I was meant to make for my patients!.

 NP's were not properly recognized and very much under-utilized and disrespected everywhere i looked and it deeply disturbed me.   

For 13 years of NP practice, i was silent or would quietly express my concerns in letters (which did not go very far)....  I did not let my voice be heard because I truly felt it was not important what I had to say.

   Now, today,  I truly do not care what people think about what I say, I just know that there are important things that need to be brought into the open and said publicly!   NP's have been hiding behind bureaucracy and red tape for FAR too long now and its time for change.    Its time for the truth to come out, for change to happen and for the incredible skill and uniqueness of the Nurse Practitioner to be RECOGNIZED in the health care system.  

 Its a golden resource (NP's) to transform our health care system, yet not being used properly and its totally maddening!!   Some of our NP's believe that government and unions will help us to become recognized and valued in our system...but I do NOT believe that for a second.  I was in a unionized environment for 24 years prior to leaping out of public practice, and I could see for myself that that type of system is going NOWHERE fast.  We need to be agents for change by doing something completely DIFFERENT from the norm.   
We have such an opportunity RIGHT NOW to change the world of health care and I am damn determined to be a catalyst for this.   This BS has gone on far too long.   

On a daily basis, I hear sad stories from patients and from other Nurse Practitioners about how our health care system is failing patients AND their families and I cannot stand it.  Our system is broken and needs an overhaul and proper Nurse Practitioner utilization and recognition of value in the system is a HUGE part of the solution here!

Being in business for yourself as an NP is not only fulfilling, but gives you the freedom of choice and allows you to live the way you WANT to live.   Become an independent Nurse Practitioner by signing up at the link below.   NPautonomy.com is the place to get connected!!
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Diane Gudmundson 
Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada
Irrationally Passionate about NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s and with Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email:  admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/nponwheels
Private Practice:  www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog:   www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the movement here!   www.NPautonomy.com

Call/Text:  204-870-0652

============================================

To become part of the NP independence and autonomy movement, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities!   
www.NPautonomy.com

============================================

Subscribe to our awesome you-tube channel!   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw

​How many years have Nurse Practitioners (NP) been working on being recognized for what we (really) do?   For me, I have been working on this now for 15 years with the totally wrong approach.  15 years!!   

Do some of these broken record explanations about what an NP is sound familiar?
 …"No, I am not studying to be a doctor"...  "No, I am not a LPN" ... "No, my intent is not to become a doctor" ...  "Yes, I can prescribe medications" .   “No, I am not a doctor, I am a Nurse Practitioner.”   I remember just how many times I have repeated myself over the years with the many misunderstandings about my role.  

And THEN!!...when I left public practice and went into private practice...my eyes opened even further!!   NOBODY knows what a Nurse Practitioner is!   Not even other health care providers, the public and even other Nurse Practitioners!   Some NP had been squashed into the "mini-doctor" role for so long, that they had forgotten what a NP as a unique provider really is!   

 I  heard much "complaining" from other NP’s over the years about the lack of recognition and appropriate pay for the role for the level of responsibility.   So TRUE, but why has this never changed over the whole 15 years of practice?  Because we have been using the totally wrong approach!   Our associations have been “trying” to work with employers, unions, regulators and political groups to advance the role and they have made great strides to allow us to “do more” as providers, but this has still not built the public recognition of the NP role whatsoever.

How do we, as NPs, achieve the value and recognition we deserve for our full scope of practice?  Do we keep pushing the government and unions and employers even though that approach has not worked for over 15 years already?   All of that has got us nowhere and we need to create a completely NEW approach and completely scrap what doesn’t work.   We need to look inside ourselves as NP’s and rediscover the belief and excitement we once had for the role as it was meant to be.  We need to put our foot down and clearly do what we do best as NP’s in the interest of patient care.   We need to get out of these “union” and restrictive roles and be more out in the public eye doing what we do best!   The PUBLIC, and NOT the government will be our best advocates once they discover who we are and what we can offer them in terms of quality holistic health care.  It is the informed and knowledgeable public who will increase the demand for our type of care.    The time is now for a totally transformational change I would say!

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Author:   Diane Gudmundson 
Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada
Irrationally Passionate about NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s and with Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email:  admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/nponwheels
Private Practice:  www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog:   www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the movement here!   www.NPautonomy.com
Call/Text:  204-870-0652
============================================
To become part of the NP independence and autonomy movement, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities!   www.NPautonomy.com
============================================
Subscribe to this awesome you-tube channel!   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw

​After having several hairy and unbelievable situations as an NP out in practice over the years while working for a Regional Health Authority in a Unionized job, it took some guts and determination to, in a socialist environment, be able to start a private medical practice.   It was not an easy transition, but, with good foundational work, research and many meetings with political leadership at the provincial and federal, it became a reality and then took off even faster than I expected!!   

As a results of my experiences and success in the practice development realm, (and because of the endless (and interesting) emails, calls and messages from other NP's with questions).... I decided to survey NP's across North America, then develop a program to help these other NP's to do what I did and with a step by step process to achieve fast success no matter where the NP was located or the "practice rules" of the location.   I believe that there is ALWAYS a way to be successful if you are determined enough!

There is also some unique ways to start a private practice without getting start-up loans, having to invest etc.   Its too much pressure to start a business and then have to be stressed about paying off loans.   NO thanks!   I was able to do it without loans and on a shoestring budget which truly helped me to practice freely without the financial pressures and worries that would accompany that  ie having to see so many patients a day to survive and pay the bills.   Seriously, who wants to have pressure like that?  Not me!

I have spent a lot of time in the recent weeks talking on video about some of my bad experiences as an NP, but now its time to really get down to talking about solutions and how I can help you to move beyond the controlled and sometimes unhealthy environments and have some freedom and true autonomy in our practice lives.  

Freedom and autonomy not only benefits the Nurse Practitioner, but gives control back to the patient for true patient-centered care.  Patients love this and if we talk about the potential, the demand for our type of care will skyrocket!   

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Diane Gudmundson 
Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada
Irrationally Passionate about NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s,  Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email:  admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/nponwheels
Private Practice:  www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog:   www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the NP for change here!   www.NPautonomy.com

Call/Text:  204-870-0652

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To be part of NP for change with the goal of NP independence and autonomy, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities!   
www.NPautonomy.com

============================================

Subscribe to this awesome you-tube channel!   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw

IHave you considered dabbling or moving into a part or full time private practise as a Nurse Practitioner?   I have been practicing as an NP for a very long time and decided to make the transition to private practice as a full time business (and all without going into debt).   I was one of the first in our area to make this leap, so I really had no examples of how this was possible, but I knew it just had to be done to give control back to patients and to advance the NP role.   So, I got to work and have now built the foundation for what is a very successful private practice here in Manitoba, Canada.   

No matter where you are located, and no matter what the laws and regulations, setting up a private practice is possible as long as you have a valid practice license in your jurisdiction and some strong conviction and creativity!   It takes some determination and work, but anything is possible!   

During my foundation-building phase, it would have been very helpful to have support and a model to follow, but unfortunately, none of this existed in our type of political environment.   I had to wade through the system, build the foundation and do some strong advocacy work to make this possible.   

As an NP, my passion is not only providing outstanding patient-centered care but also to work hard to help other NP's to be able to love their work again, to advance the role of NP quickly, get excited and realize the possibilities when it comes to private practice.   There are so many advantages to advancing the NP role this way versus being boxed into union or employer-based jobs and if we continue to push forward as a collective, the patients we serve will be our biggest advocates and create a high level of demand for our services.   

LETS DO THIS and do not give up.   Anything is possible and I am here to support, encourage and lead you towards success!   Sign up at www.npautonomy.com to be part of this exciting transition for NP's!

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Diane Gudmundson 
Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada
Irrationally Passionate about NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s and with Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email:  admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/nponwheels
Private Practice:  www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog:   www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the movement here!   www.NPautonomy.com

Call/Text:  204-870-0652

============================================

To become an NP with independence and autonomy, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities!   
www.NPautonomy.com

============================================

Subscribe to this awesome you-tube channel!   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw

​For many years as a NP, I was advocating for NP's to be able to bill direct to the province (Manitoba Health) for our services which would allow us to have an independent clinic without all the red tape and bureaucracy that gets in the way of our job satisfaction and the quality of care for our patients!!  Well, through experience, talking to family doctors, and looking critically at the politics and the true definition of patient-centered care, I discovered I was advocating for the WRONG thing!!!

Billing fee-for-service sounded like something that would work...why not?  We could have our own practices and just bill direct for our services....but we are forgetting that this would create a situation where we would have to have our own or at least contribute to reception staff, software, clinic supplies and all of the overhead that is there in your own practice.   All of a sudden, there is a perspective change!   You then realize that you would have to see many patients per hour just to pay the bills and you would still have much unpaid hours of work to do in between.   Hmmm, a fee for service practice funded by the health system suddenly doesn't feel so good.   This system would still contain the pressures to see high numbers of patients every hour and would seriously limit the quality and true ability to provide patient-centered care as you would want to in order to have job satisfaction!  Oh, and if you are working in a clinic that would be billing your work fee-for-service, there would also be productivity expectations to pay their bills as well!!    

Another consideration is...the moment we are funded by the Province (thus becoming part of Canada Health Act), we will have limitations, restrictions for what will be paid for, and it will then be illegal to offer medical services outside what 'they' authorize.  So what about those patients who want half hour or an hour appointment to sort out some major issues or multiple concerns?   Will we have to put up a sign that says "ONLY ONE ISSUE PER APPOINTMENT" like we often see in physicians offices?   The reason those signs are there is a billing system issue.   The health system pays for ONE issue per appointment and the amount they pay only really covers about 10 minutes of professional time.   Hmmmm....more things to think about!   

Time to re-consider whether you would want to work fee-for-service through our provincial health system?  ...I know I wouldn't want it!  NO THANKS!   Currently in Canada, Nurse Practitioners are considered an uninsured service.   AHA!!!  :)  This is both good for us and for patients because they (the patients) can pay for the service that THEY want.  They can get the client-centered care they want this way and not have some regulator putting a stop to the quality medical care they prefer to pay for!!

Learn more about how to become an autonomous, independent and FREE NP who has learned to LOVE their work again....it is SO worth it!  
www.npautonomy.com

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Diane Gudmundson 
Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur in Manitoba, Canada
Irrationally Passionate about NP role, outstanding care for patients, supporting and promoting NP’s and with Fitness and Nutrition / disease prevention and de-prescribing!
Email:  admin@NPautonomy.com
FB: facebook.com/nponwheels
Private Practice:  www.nponwheels.com
NP Blog:   www.uniqueprovider.com
Join the movement here!   www.NPautonomy.com
Call/Text:  204-870-0652

============================================

To become part of the NP independence and autonomy movement, get your name and email on the list ASAP so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming opportunities!     www.NPautonomy.com

============================================

Subscribe to this awesome you-tube channel!   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYVbA9x_sd0YPzbNaZnZKw