Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Some of Minnesota's highly skilled nurses will soon lead their own primary care clinic, thanks to a new state law.
On April 6, the University of Minnesota School of Nursing will open a new nurse practitioner clinic in downtown Minneapolis The clinic is across the street from the new Minnesota Vikings stadium and a half block from a light rail stop.
For years, advanced practice registered nurses have served as primary care providers for many patients. But they were required to have a written agreement with a physician to practice.
That changed on Jan. 1, when a new state law that allows advanced nurses to practice independently took effect, Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/19NtTwX ) reported. The law allows those nurses to break free of physician oversight after completing 2,080 hours of supervised work.
"This is a magnificently empowering time for nurse practitioners in the state of Minnesota," said Connie White Delaney, dean of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing.
Two or three nurse practitioners will work in the clinic, where they will treat minor conditions such as fevers and flu, and manage patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart failure, Delaney said.
"It has everything that you would see in other providers' clinic visits," she said.
The clinic already has an agreement to work closely with clients at Emanuel Housing, a 101-unit transitional housing facility for previously homeless people. The clinic occupies a street-level corner in the same building.
Clinic director Jane Anderson said the clinic's nurse practitioners intend to offer wellness classes to clients at Emanuel because disease prevention is a hallmark of nursing work.
"We'll be able to help them understand how to access primary care, so they don't feel like they have to go to the emergency department for every care," Anderson said.
But some physicians are wary of the idea of nurse-led clinics.
"Doing things that fragments care rather than coordinates care is always worrisome to us," said Dr. Dave Thorson, president-elect of the Minnesota Medical Association.
Thorson, a family physician in White Bear Lake, said nurses don't have as much training as primary care physicians. He wonders if they will be able to recognize the limits of their knowledge when they're working independently.
Nurse practitioners at the new Minneapolis clinic say they have good relationships with many physicians and they will refer complex cases to them. The nurses also say they have added pharmacists to their staff to help them manage medications for patients with multiple health conditions.
___
Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mprnews.org
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
