For Tui Ora’s Melissa Kearns (Ngāti Awa, Tainui), this is the first summer in a long time when she can fully enjoy time with family and friends without feeling the need to hit the books.
“It’s been a long road, where it always seemed like there was another milestone to reach and paper to complete, but it has all been worth it, it really has,” she said with her trademark smile.
Melissa qualified as a Nurse Practitioner in December, and now has her own patient list, just like a GP, which is helping to ensure whānau can get medical support when they need it at Tui Ora’s medical clinics in Ngāmotu and Whaitara.
Nurse Practitioners treat patients in a similar way to a GP in the primary care setting – diagnosing common and complex conditions, prescribing medicine, interpreting diagnostic tests and forming treatment plans, which includes referring to clinical specialists when required.
“Nurse Practitioners approach health issues from a different lens to a GP, with the same level of authority but with a nursing background,” explains Melissa. “Nurse Practitioners and GPs work together very well to provide an excellent medical service for whānau – people get the best of both worlds!”
It takes at least four years of experience as a registered nurse (which requires a three-year degree), another three years working in an appropriate clinical setting, achieving a Masters of Nursing Science qualification and passing a rigorous assessment by the Nursing Council of New Zealand to qualify – and Melissa is happy the hours of study are now behind her.
“I’m sure everyone else is too, because it took a whole team of people to support me through the whole process, from my amazing fellow kaimahi at Tui Ora to my husband Kieran and my family to my friends. Every single one of them enabled me to achieve this and I’m so grateful for their support,” she says.
She singles out her mentor Tui Ora GP Dr Dave for a special mention.
“Dave went through the whole process with me because he had to review my cases and verify my decision-making while I was gaining my clinical experience – it was like a whole other job for him really. He was also instrumental in encouraging me to keep going when things got tough – I can’t thank him enough.”
Melissa is carrying on a long whānau tradition of caring for others as her Grandfather Bernard Casey was a GP, while her late grandmother and mother are also nurses.
“It’s a proper family trade for us all,” says Melissa with a laugh. “Grandapa was a big influence by encouraging me to complete further study once finishing my bachelors degree, firstly to become a Nurse Prescriber and then advance to a Nurse Practitioner. I know he would be so proud that I got there. My friends, whānau, and a lot of the patients I work closely with are all so happy for me which is really cool to see.”
Melissa is a trailblazer in her field as Tui Ora senior registered nurses Bailey Mclean and Nicole Brisco have also been studying hard to become qualified Nurse Prescribers with the possibility of completing the Nurse Practitioner pathway in the future.
“We are very proud of our nurses and their determination and drive to keep learning, keep upskilling for the ultimate benefit of our whānau,” says Robyn Taylor, Kaihautu Tapuhi (Clinical Nurse Lead). “Supporting and encouraging our kaimahi to develop professionally is important to us at Tui Ora, because we want to fuel the passion they have for helping whānau to live the healthiest and fullest lives they can.”