Nurse's skills give GP vital support

Nurse practitioner Jane Dutton can keep GP practices from filling up with patients who have mild to moderate conditions. Photo/Stuart Murno

Daunting, yet fun are the words Jane Dutton uses to describe being Wanganui's first nurse practitioner.

Ms Dutton finished her masters degree in primary health and prescribing "practicum" or programme four years ago, and now works full time at Castlecliff Healthcare.

The difference between a nurse and a nurse practitioner includes an advanced education, higher levels of skill and practice, and the ability to prescribe medication to patients, she said.

"You can see young children, they might just need some asthma meds.

"It stops you blocking up the GP practice with mild to moderate conditions."

The transition to nurse practitioner was "quite a rollercoaster" for Taihape-born Ms Dutton, who has lived in Wanganui for about 20 years after working in Melbourne for 16 years.

"It's fun but quite daunting as well, just leading the way. There's other girls hopefully that will come along.

"You will never be a GP, but you can be basically like a support person to them. I know where my skills end and his begin."

Ms Dutton, who has also worked as a midwife, said the nurse practitioner title came after 10 years of studying at Massey University, which included four years of work experience.

There was "no way" book learning could help prepare her for her work as well as experience, she said.

"When you go to nursing council there's a five-hour oral exam. You have to be prepared, you have to be doing the work.

"After about three hours of oral questions you're working on autopilot. If you aren't doing it every day there's no way you're going to be drawing it from a book."

Her work in primary health meant she was dealing with everyone from babies to elderly people.

There was extra pressure and responsibility in her position, but Ms Dutton felt her training had prepared her for it.

"You still work closely as a team, it just gives you a wider scope of where you might want to go."