"Exceptional Care from a Nurse Practitioner"

My husband has had ablation surgery for PVC cardiac arrythmias. He has been feeling progressively worse lately with average pulse in the 40s. His doctor says he should just wait before being referred back to his specialist. Some days he can do very little. Last week he was feeling very poorly and used senior express booking saying he would see any doctor in the clinic. They replied with a booking a month away in May. I encouraged him to book my nurse practitioner at Westview virtual PCN. She listened carefully and devised a plan of testing to identify and rule out possible causes for his current cardiac symptoms and gather enough data for a referral if needed. When she received the blood work, Xray, and ECG results, she called him early Monday morning to discuss them, ensure he had bookings for his other diagnostic tests, and email the follow-up Xray requisition  requested by the imaging report. My husband was taken back by the fact they she actually "cared" about him even though he is 73. I know she will follow through to ensure he is cared for and has the help he needs. Jessica is not only caring; she is smart. Her questions demonstrate her keen skills of dialectical thinking and determination to find the truth for her patients.

Paying doctors more cannot fix uncaring doctors.  Last year I had repeated appointments with the same doctor over bursitis in my knee. I could barely walk and could not sleep. The doctor would not send me for an injection because they told me they didn't like ordering them. I ended up in emergency where the doctor looked at the same report and said I needed an injection immediately. Seniors are people too and deserve a doctor's due diligence and caring.  I am so grateful for the government making nurse practitioners available so we have choices.