Nurse Practitioner

I'm a Nurse Practitioner. In the small, rural town in Central California that I work in, I have learned a lot about myself and about what patients what and what providers want. Below you will find a few tips that may help you make the most out of a visit with an NP or Dr. Good luck!

 1. Be specific
We are medical detectives and so we will ask the 'who', 'when', 'where', 'what', 'how', 'why' questions. "A few weeks ago" doesn't count! 1 week? 3 weeks? The more details you can offer us the better! For example: I noticed this rash on my legs 3 days ago after being at my Grandma's house". Perfect! The rest of the interview will consist of more details, but the more you give, the better diagnosis we can make!

 2. Bring your medications
Most medications are "small, white pills". There are apps to help me elicit exactly which small, white pill you're taking, but it would be immensely more helpful if you bring them in with you. There is a lot of information we can obtain from the label; who wrote the prescription, where it was filled, the name of the medication, dose, frequency, side effects, etc. Additionally, "I take a blood pressure pill", isn't helpful. There are hundreds of blood pressure medications!

 3. Know why you're here
I have seen a few patients who have absolutely no clue why they're here to see me. One was a man who said, "My wife told me to come back, so I did"! A man who does what he's told, I like that! Seriously though, tell us (and by 'us', this includes the medical assistant who is taking your vitals). And, please, tell her the real reason you're here. She brings me the chart and before I even walk into your room, I'm already thinking about our plan based on your reason for the visit. It makes things much easier for all of us. Along this same line, no problem is embarrassing for me. I know you may be shy about that rash or odor, but trust me, I've seen, heard, smelled it all.

 4. Know what you want
A referral? An antibiotic? An x-ray? Please be specific! If you tell me what you want and it works out, then we're great! If you can articulate what you think is going on and I can help/direct/guide you in that process, then we will have a really good working relationship. Your healthcare is important to me, but I can only do so much. You have to meet me halfway. I have patients come to me with a problem, I prescribe medication and ask them to return in a week or two. They come back a month or more later only to tell me the problem was never resolved and is now worse. Well! Come back and tell me that! Or, they won't have taken any of the medication I prescribed and are wondering why their rash hasn't resolved (true story).

 5. I'm the Nurse Practitioner; you're the patient
Unless you did in fact go to medical school or nursing school, please don't argue with me. You have come to me for help and I am trying to help you. Antibiotics will not be effective against a virus. I apologize to every 30+ year old who received an antibiotic every time you went to the Dr growing up. I did, too. I know how it went: you get sick, you go to the Dr, you receive an antibiotic (Amoxicillin), you take it for 7-14 days, you feel better. I get it! But, we now know that viruses will not die with antibiotics. Typically, a cold is viral (wash your hands!) and will generally resolve on it's own in 3-5 days. Those 3-5 days will be miserable (stay home!), and you can use OTC medications for symptom relief, but coming to me asking for an antibiotic will not work. I will not write that prescription. Some Dr's may; I will not. Finally, I'm trying to educate you. Educate me about yourself. Listen to me and I will listen to you. Respect my education and training, and I will respect your situation.

 Bottom line: Help me help you.