NP Successes
Barbara C. Phillips
Barbara C. Phillips, ARNP, specializes in primary care and is the only independently practicing nurse practitioner in Aberdeen, WA. Her clients are adults and teens, and much of her work currently is in women’s health as well as diabetes care.
After working as an RN in ICU/CCU, Ms Phillips became a Geriatric NP in 1988 and a Family NP in 1998. She found that the FNP gave her maximum flexibility over the years as she moved from working in community clinics, to tribal clinics, and now in her private practice. A “most cherished position” was as the Nursing Director of an inpatient hospice for those with AIDS in the early 1990’s.
She has been in private practice since 2006. Independence for NPs is a major passion for Barbara, and serves as a venue for her contributions to both clients and to our NP profession. In her words, “Since opening my own practice, I’ve published a few articles on this in print (AdvancedNP) and online. That led to a blog about NPs being in business to handle the many questions I was getting (www.NPBusiness.org). Since then, we started doing interviews with other NPs in Business from around the country (www.NPInterviews.com). Both of these have led to a new site that was just launched (and still evolving) that offers NPs tools, resources, networking, brainstorming calls and mastermind groups: www.NPBusinessOwner.com.”
When asked what she most cares about regarding NPs, Ms Phillips answered, “I really promote NPs being in business for themselves — be it clinical practice or not. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I feel it gives us more options. In Washington we are fortunate to be independent... I look forward to the day when that is true across the country.” Her hope for ARNPs’ future? “Continued growth — personally and professionally — we have so much to offer. I’d like each of us to grow to his or her potential.”
JoAnne C. Yost
JoAnne C. Yost has been a Family Nurse Practitioner in Elma since she finished her NP Program at the University of Washington Continuing Education Program in 1974-75. Following graduation, she and a classmate moved to Elma and shared two jobs in the East Grays Harbor area. One job was to set up an out patient primary care clinic at Mark Reed Hospital; the second was to work with Dr. S.A. McCool in his clinic in Elma. The first year her time was split between the two clinics until the hospital clinic closed.
Yost continued to work in the Elma clinic until 1991, when she was asked to open a rural health clinic, now known as Capital Medical Center. Her clinic started in a small 3-room office space with herself and an office manager. Over the years the clinic has moved to a larger space and the staff has grown to 1 full time and 3 part time family nurse practitioners, 2 back office positions and 3 office staff positions. The team serves pa-tients of all ages, with many health issues and diverse cultural backgrounds.
Yost chose family practice because she preferred to be able to serve a variety of clients and focus on prevention of illness. She has participated in two collaborative projects to improve the care of those with chronic diseases. Yost is a true advocate for the ARNP profession and for her community. She has precepted nursing students since the early 1990’s, has been a member of the ANA and state nursing organizations since the 1960’s, and a loyal member of ARNPs United since its inception. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Grays Harbor. Yost has enjoyed watching the growth and evolution of the nurse practitioner profession. She is happy to see nurses getting involved in political issues that focus on improving access to health care, and hopes all nurses will continue to raise awareness for their profession and the health care needs of their clients. She feels her success is related to having a strong mentor (Dr. McCool), the support of her staff, and above all, the trust bestowed by the community of Eastern Grays Harbor, who, says Yost, “were willing to entrust their health care to an unknown nurse.”
Cindy Jensen
Cindy Jensen, ARNP, of Sumner, WA, has not exactly taken the most typical career path known to ARNPs. In fact, even after becoming a nurse practitioner, she melded her unique skills in critical care nursing and economics to start and own the first NP owned franchise of Passport Health.
After getting her BA in anthropology with a minor in economics and later pursuing an associate‘s degree in nursing, Cindy then worked for 10 years as a critical care nurse, including 3 years in a Level 1 trauma center. She then returned to school to become an ARNP in 1997, and in 2001, set up an independent primary care practice within a physician’s office. Despite her solo practice’s successful 5 year run, she decided this was not enough of a challenge. After reading about Passport Health in a nursing journal, she recognized the potential and opened the first Northwest office.
Passport Health of Western Washington provides travel health consultations and vaccinations for those traveling to developing countries. The clinic provides care to people traveling for pleasure, mission and corporate trips, or for families visiting family members in their countries of origin. They have four locations including Renton, Redmond, Tacoma and Everett, but also do onsite travel consultations and immunizations for businesses as well as flu shot clinics during the season. Cindy meets many interesting people through the onsite care. The clinics have vaccinated merchant mariners on freighters, crew members of a mega yacht, and nursing students at a local university who are traveling abroad as part of their educational experiences.
Cindy enjoys many aspects about life as an ARNP. She is challenged, and finds her life is richer and her business more insightful and nuanced because of her life experiences. She believes her clients benefit from her nursing expertise in relationship building, education, collaboration, and prevention, and her business benefits from her ability to step up and deal with any critical situation. Ultimately, she enjoys being a risk taker and an entrepreneur.
Outside of her business and raising a family, Cindy has also found the time to volunteer for the last 5 years on the AUWS Legislative Committee, as well as precept ARNP students from Vanderbilt University. Her hope for ARNPs in the future is for independent practice in all states and a place at the table when the “deciders” sit down to determine policy for the future of healthcare in America.