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Natural Awakenings Naples and Fort Myers

Thank Nurses for Healthcare Partnerships

Jan 02, 2021 01:04PM ● By Linda Sechrist

While nursing as a profession has undergone many changes since Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and Florence Nightingale created the educational curriculum for modern nursing, the most significant development is the required comprehensive, formal education that makes them highly respected and sought-after members of healthcare teams. Although opportunities for nurses to serve have expanded in more specialized ways, one thing has never changed in a nurse’s education—how to care for patients in a soothing, calm, comforting way, as well as educate them.


Presently, all levels of nursing which require passing a national exam to prove they are knowledgeable heath care providers and licensed professionals include licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), nurse practitioner (NP) or advanced practice registered nurse practitioner (APRN) and doctor of nursing practice (DNP).


As nurses have been given more patient responsibility, especially those with advanced degrees, technological advances in healthcare have also made some duties easier to perform. This is especially helpful to NPs in Florida, as well as many other states, that are free to work without the direct supervision of a physician. This means that the most successful NPs, such as Doreen DeStefano, founder of Root Causes Holistic Health & Medicine, in Fort Myers, are independent, organized and excel at patient communication, which is an integral part of an NP’s job.


Locally, few individuals know the rigors of acquiring degrees in nursing as well as DeStefano, an APRN who has worked and studied her way through BSN, RN, MSN, NP and APRN, and is presently studying for her DNP. “Because in caring for our patients NPs are responsible for collaborating with many others such as physicians, we require an advanced education and clinical training so that we can provide a wide range of healthcare services, including the diagnosis and management of common, as well as complex medical conditions,” says DeStefano, who while not required to have a supervising physician, prefers to keep one on her payroll to consult with on complex cases.


DeStefano particularly appreciates the hour she spends with her patients to create a spirit of partnership. “Building a relationship with a patient that makes them feel as though we are a team is also a significant part of a nurse’s training. We are trained to educate our patients and answer questions about their physical issues, as well as what to recommend they do in creating a personal healing environment. We are also trained how to support our patients in creating that environment, and we are free to point out to a doctor that a patient’s spiritual and emotional needs must be met, along with their physical needs. For the purpose of healing, it’s our job as nurses to team up with patient, while a doctor’s job is to determine an accurate diagnosis and provide effective treatment. In conventional medicine, before you get your eight-to-10-minute face-to-face with a doctor, a nurse has asked you, ‘what brings you in today?’, had you complete a patient history form, taken your vitals and created a chart. Before entering the room, the doctor has read your chart, made a diagnosis and figured out a treatment plan and possible testing needs, which they convey to a nurse upon leaving the room. It’s a rather impersonal process, particularly because doctors rarely touch patients anymore,” explains DeStefano


Nurses are trained to touch the patient, calm the spirit and reduce their anxiety so that they can understand what’s happening to them. “In a NP practice, patients are examined from head to toe on a first appointment. We’re also environmental specialists that create personalized healing environments for our patients. Without including all the aspects necessary for healing, a patient doesn’t get well,” advises DeStefano


At Root Causes, DeStefano spends a full hour with a patient after the hour with her nursing staff. “We spend two hours with a patient. I can’t imagine building a rapport with someone in 10 minutes. There is no way that I would ever get to that precious pearl that allows us to create their personalized healing plan together. I’m patient because I know how many years it takes for an oyster to make a pearl. I feel that this kind of mindset and practice for NPs or APRNs is at the heart of today’s patient healthcare and wellness. Although we don’t have the magical degree of an M.D., we do have the magic of empathy, understanding and authentic caring that resonates with individuals who need it.


Root Causes Holistic Health & Medicine is located in Kenwood Office Park at 12734 Kenwood Ln., Ste. 84, in Fort Myers. For appointments and more information, call 239-347-9234 or visit RtCausesMD.com.