Nurse practitioners in rural settings sometimes must have skills that resemble a multi-purpose tool—doing many different types of procedures quickly when specialists are located miles down the road.
Nurse practitioner residents in the Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency program at North Dakota State University and other newly hired Essentia Health providers received training on such procedures on April 21 and 22 in Baxter, Minnesota.
From suturing to fish hook removal to ultrasounds and other topics, the training assists nurse practitioners in rural areas to expand and hone their skills, as they are called on to do multiple types of health care procedures in their clinics and hospitals.
“I found the ultrasound portion of the training very interesting and hope to see medicine go toward that type of diagnostic study in the future,” said one provider.
Aaron Lindstrom, nurse practitioner at Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, facilitated training in orthopedics during the event. He is part of an orthopedic team focused on providing better access to orthopedic care and excellence in orthopedic treatments and surgeries.
Steve Palmer, physician’s assistant at Essentia Health in Brainerd and Ada, Minnesota, facilitated skills development in ultrasound and in fish hook removal.
In addition, Adam Hohman, doctor of nursing practice and assistant professor of practice at NDSU in Fargo, North Dakota, helped participants build skills in suturing, incision and drainage, as well as other topics.
The sessions give nurse practitioner residents and other providers a simulated experience with events that they may encounter during their careers.
“A nurse practitioner’s responsibilities go beyond primary care,” said Adam Hohman, assistant professor of practice in the NDSU School of Nursing.
NDSU provides the federally funded nurse practitioner residency program, in partnership with Essentia Health. NDSU also provides an on-campus Doctor of Nursing Practice program focusing on face-to-face instruction, with synchronous classes offered through NDSU Fargo and Bismarck sites.
The NDSU Doctor of Nursing Practice degree prepares students to provide advanced nursing care as a family nurse practitioner.
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