The word metaphor I chose for this scenario is “actuality”, because a similar scenario likely unfolds in primary care offices around the country on a daily basis. During my most recent clinical ro

The word metaphor I chose for this scenario is “actuality”, because a similar scenario likely unfolds in primary care offices around the country on a daily basis. During my most recent clinical rotation, it was expected that all providers schedule a patient every 15 minutes, and remain timely. This is common practice throughout primary care in the United States. Primary care institutions across the U.S strive to create value for their consumers (Budrevičiūtė et al, 2018), but at what cost? During my rotation, I struggled to identify what needs of the patient were most important to them. Often, I felt as though the patients could benefit from a little extra time with the provider.

            As nurses, it is engrained in our being to put the patient first, and address all needs. Being a nurse practitioner does not change our inherent desire to fix all of our patient’s problems. However, this does set us aside from other providers such as MDs, DOs, and PAs. From the time we are in nursing school to now – we are taught to address the whole patient. So, how I would address this issue? I would prioritize the patient’s most pressing health-care needs. I would follow this patient on a regular basis, even weekly if needed to put him on the right track.

Budrevičiūtė, A., ⨯ Ramunė Kalėdienė, & Petrauskienė, J. (2018). Priorities in effective management of primary health care institutions in lithuania: Perspectives of managers of public and private primary health care institutions.PLoS One, 13(12) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209816