Seeing the struggle whānau were having to meet someone kanohi-ki-kanohi (face -to-face) to talk about their health gave Tui Ora nurse Nicole Brisco the motivation to start the journey to becoming a nurse prescriber.
Now she has reached her goal, meaning people in Whaitara now have another option when it comes to accessing care for themselves and their families.
“I was working as a practice nurse in Hāwera after I qualified and could see the impact the reduction in the number of GPs in the area was having on our patients,” she says.
“We literally couldn’t get people in to have the face-to-face consultation they desperately needed and so I wanted to do something about that.”
A nurse prescriber is able to see patients and diagnose common conditions, such as skin issues, sore throats and ear infections, and urinary tract infections, and help manage already diagnosed long-term conditions. This means that more people can be seen by a medical professional and GPs can be available for those with more complicated health issues.
In order to become a nurse prescriber, Nicole was required to complete a Post-graduate Nursing Diploma – which takes two years when studying full-time – and gain approval from the NZ Nursing Council.
“I was a Mum (to Ahli, now 11, and Parker, now 8) and working full-time so it took me a bit longer,” says Nicole. She completed one paper while pregnant with Dempsey (now 4) and then took a break, during which she began working for Tui Ora.
“Robyn (Taylor, Kaihautū/Clinical Nurse Lead) and Melissa (Kearns, Nurse Practitioner) really encouraged me to pick it all up again and get qualified, so I started the journey again. It’s taken me four years all up.”
It’s been hard work, studying late into the night after her tamariki had gone to bed and missing out on other whānau times in order to get assignments completed on time.
“Without my husband Kane I wouldn’t have been able to do it. And I do have Mum guilt because the kids have had to sacrifice time with me sometimes.”
“But my work colleagues have always been right behind me, giving me those much need words of encouragement to keep going when I needed them most. I nearly gave up so many times because it was so hard fitting everything in, but their support made all the difference. Dr. B (Bernard Leuthart, Pou Whakahaere Takutatanga/Clinical Director) was my mentor, overseeing my practical work, and he was always so encouraging, too.”
Nicole is now seeing patients at Whaitara Health Centre, giving whānau access to face-to-face health care.
“I am absolutely loving this mahi and being able to tautoko the range of hauora services Tui Ora is providing for the community here in Whaitara.”
But her upskilling journey hasn’t ended yet – she plans to spend some time with her family before beginning the study required to become a Nurse Practitioner (check out this story Hours of study and hard work bring reward for Nurse Practitioner Melissa Kearns – Tui Ora).
Robyn Taylor says, “It’s only in the last five years or so that the full scope of what nurses can contribute in the hauora space has been recognised and professional pathways created for them. I am so proud of what we are doing at Tui Ora in this area because ultimately, it’s whānau who will benefit with better access and more choice in how their health needs are met.”