National Nurse Practitioner Week celebrates more than 50 years of practice by these exceptional health care providers. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are expert clinicians with advanced education and clinical experience who provide primary, acute and specialty health care using a high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered approach.
In the United States, this distinguished group of health care professionals number approximately 222,000 strong. Each year, another 20,000 NP students will graduate.
Currently, 21 nurse practitioners practice within University of Maryland Community Medical Group at Shore Regional Health. They provide a full range of health care services, including:
- Ordering, performing and interpreting diagnostic tests, such as lab work and x-rays
- Diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions, such as diabetes and injuries
- Prescribing medications and other treatments
- Managing patients’ overall care
- Education and counseling
- Emphasis on healthy lifestyle choices and educated health care choices
“We take a holistic and collaborative approach to patient care that involves listening to our patients and their families, then creating an individualized medical treatment plan to optimize healing, wellness and function while considering the unique needs of each patient,” comments Lisa Jeffers, CRNP, CWS of UM CMG Wound Care.
NPs must have a master’s degree in order to practice and many hold doctoral degrees, such as a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP). They are licensed and can prescribe medication and other treatments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Studies have shonw that patients whose primary care providers are NPs have fewer emergency room visits and shorter hospital stays, resulting in lower out-of-pocket costs,
In the United States, this distinguished group of health care professionals number approximately 222,000 strong. Each year, another 20,000 NP students will graduate. The UM CMG nurse practitioners serving UM Shore Regional Health are:
Behavioral Health: Jill Burgholzer, CRNP
Cardiology: Patricia Lancaster, CRNP and Clare Ross, CRNP
Diabetes and Endocrinology: Anna Antwi, CRNP and Bobbi Atkinson, CRNP
Family Medicine: Brittany Cutler, CRNP; Lisa Hall, CRNP; Marcia Reynolds, CRNP; and Shirley Seward, CRNP
Neurology: Penny Boyle, CRNP: Trisha Lemay, CRNP and Rahel Alemu, CRNP
Oncology: Michele Williams, DNP, OCN
Pain Management: Diana Gail Shorter, DNP
Palliative Care: Sharon Stagg, DNP
Pediatrics: Ellen Spurry Christ, CRNP and Marilyn Gall, CRNP
Women’s Health: Jennifer Dyott, CRNP; Dale Jafari, CRNP: Michell Jordan, DNP, CNM; and Brittany Krautheim, CNM, CRNP
Wound Care: Lisa Jeffers, CRNP, CWS
Additional information about services provided by nurse practitioners at UM CMG can be found at UMCMG.org.
