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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2003)
19 m m m zinew s I n these times o f rising medical costs, high unemployment and many uninsured indi viduals, finding affording health care can he a challenge. W hereas a visit to the doc tor can set you hack a few hundred dollars, a nurse practitioner might offer the same service at a fraction o f the price. Nurse practitioners are nurses with masters degrees and advanced training who can perform many o f the same functions as physicians. Depending on their training, NPs can diagnose illnesses, prescribe medication, give pap smears and perform minor surgery in their offices. A family practice nurse practitioner works in much the same way a family practice physician works. They even take most health insurance plans. Teri Bunker is one such NP. T h e out lesbian family nurse practitioner recently opened Bridge City Family Medical C lin ic in Northeast Port land. She sees patients of all ages, from new borns to elderly adults. Bunker says some people prefer NPs to regular medical doctors. “I think what you find with nurse practitioners is that because we come from a base of nursing, it tends to he a more holistic approach to health care. People say that we listen better to them and we spend more time with them.” Nurse practitioners can specialize, much like doctors, in areas such as geriatric, pediatric or psychiatric care. Certified nurse-mid wives spe cialize in pregnancy, deliver babies and tend to newborn health care. The first nurse practitioners were trained at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver in 1965. A shortage in health care providers led a nurse educator and a physician to establish a program to give nurses the skills need ed to take on more responsibilities. At the time, the only way nurses could advance in their careers "I think what you find with nurse practitioners is that because we come from a base o f nursing, it tends to be a more holistic approach to health care. People say that we listen better to them and we spend more time with them." T he C ure Nurse practitioners help fill medical gap by Kathy Beige was to go into administration or teaching. This was also the era of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. Neighborhixxl health clinics were being established, hut there was not adequate medical staff to run them. Training nurse practi tioners helped fill the medical gap and allowed nurses the opportunity to grow in their careers. Today more than 850 nurse practitioners are licensed in Oregon. The laws that guide NPs differ from state to state. In order to he certified in Ore gon, NPs must he licensed as a registered nurse, obtain a master’s degree in nursing and receive cer tification from an approved schtxil. In Oregon, NPs are allowed independent practices and can admit patients to hospitals. In fact, in many parts of mral Oregon where there simply are not enough doctors, nurse practitioners fill health care gaps. Nurse practitioners can he an affordable option for those without health insurance. Often people with no insurance cannot get in to see a doctor. “My phone has been ringing off the hcxik with those people who can’t get health care any where else,” Bunker says. In a time when many providers arc not seeing patients who are on the Oregon Health Plan, she does. She also takes many other insurance plans like Blue Cross Blue Shield and Providence. To the insurance companies, it doesn’t mat ter whether patients see an NP or an MD. “They consider me to he a primary care provider, just Your Finances Your Lifestyle Your Future — Teri Bunker like the physician,” Bunker says. “1 am an equal choice, not a lesser-than choice.” Bunker can prescribe most medications, treat most ailments and advise on most preventative health care. There are only a few medications she cannot prescribe. Although some practition ers have hospital admitting privileges, she chcxxs- es not to hut works with several physicians who can hospitalize her patients when they need it. Prior to opening her own clinic, Bunker spent four years working for the Clackamas County Health Department. Although she is trained to treat most illnesses, she has received special recognition for her collaborative work with dia betics; last year the Oregon Primary Care Asstxri- ation presented her with an outstanding clinician award. fflt was a big deal,” she says. Bunker claims not to have run into any homo Proudly serving our community since 1989 in personal injury claims including; • Auto & Motorcyle Accidents • Bicycle & G r if f o n F in a n c ia l G r o u p , LLC . 107 % • 100 % financing owner occupied financing on investor loans • Mortgage consulting on tax shelter Hala Gores, P.C. Personal and confidential Independent and Objective A new face with some new ideas for the community! 1 When it comes to investments and financial planning for your life, tru st a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ who listens and understands your needs * • K a ti IY B elge is your guide to lesbian life at lesbianlife about.com. Injured? ..Call me These things are too important to trust to just anyone. www.griffonfinancial.com phobia in her career, hut she has had some awkward moments. One time, right in the middle of a pap smear, a patient with her legs wide open in the stirrups asked her, “So, are you married ? ' “I’m thinking, 1 don’t know if this is really a gixxl time to tell you I’m a lesbian,” Bunker laughs. She also stmggles with her identity as a nurse practitioner. Many of her patients call her “doctor." “It gets hard to always correct that,” she says. "Yet, when I don’t, I only contribute to my own invisibility.” She asks her patients to call her Teri. “I don’t like to Lxvk at my relationship [with my patients] as I’m up here and they’re down there,” she adds. "I really think 1 am this person you can com e to and together we can come to a solution about what’s right for you." 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