Allied Primary Health Practitioners

Nature of work

This group includes nurse practitioners, anesthesia assistants, and midwives who provide primary health care and treatment in conjunction with physicians and in collaboration with other health professionals. Nurse practitioners provide a range of health services to patients delivering preventive and continuous care toward the management of patients' health. Nurse practitioners are independent care providers with a broader scope of practice relative to registered nurses.

Anesthesia assistants are specially trained health professionals that participate in the care of the stable surgical patient during general, regional, or conscious sedation anesthesia through medical directives under the supervision of an anesthesiologist. They are employed in hospitals.

Midwives are primary care providers who provide full-course care to women and their babies during pregnancy, labour, birth and the post-natal period. They are employed in hospitals, clinics, birthing centres or in private practice.

Job duties

Nurse practitioners perform some or all of the following duties:

• Examine patients and take their medical histories and consult with physicians and other medical practitioners to evaluate patients' physical and mental health.
• Order laboratory tests, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures.
• Inoculate and vaccinate patients.
• Advise patients and their families on health care including health promotion, disease, illness and accident prevention.
• Collaborate with members of an interdisciplinary health team such as family physicians, therapists and nutritionists to plan, implement, coordinate and evaluate patient care in consultation with patients and their families.

Anesthesia assistants perform some or all of the following duties:

• Provide technical support to anesthesiologists for complex anesthesia equipment.
• Provide airway management assistance.
• Monitor patient's hemodynamic status, blood, fluid, and pharmacological therapy.
• Perform activities such as administration of anesthetic gases and medications, insertion and management of hemodynamic monitors, and management of anesthesia equipment.
• Provide physiologic surveillance of the stable patient under general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and for procedural sedation.

Midwives perform some or all of the following duties:

• Provide primary, full-course, care to women and their babies during pregnancy, labour, birth and the post-natal period including monitoring the health of mother and baby.
• Manage labour and spontaneous normal deliveries.
• Care for, assess and monitor the health of newborns and refer infants to appropriate medical services as required.
• Provide advice and guidance regarding care for newborns and young infants.

Sample job titles

• acute care nurse practitioner
• anesthesia assistant
• midwife
• nurse practitioner
• nurse-midwife
• physician assistant
• primary health care nurse practitioner
• registered midwife (RM)

Skills

Compassion, sensitivity, and a desire to help people are important. Maturity and good judgement are essential. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are important. You should be able to inspire confidence and put people at ease, be observant, and notice a client's symptoms and response to treatment. It is important to understand and practice professional ethics.

Job requirements

• Nurse practitioners usually require a master's degree in nursing; or completion of a nursing program with additional advanced or extended primary health care nursing education; and several years of practice as a registered nurse.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for nurse practitioners in Nova Scotia.
• Anesthesia assistants require completion of an anesthesia assistance program or having achieved equivalent clinical/professional experience (over 5 years) working exclusively in anesthesia.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for anesthesia assistants in Nova Scotia.
• Midwives require completion of an undergraduate university degree program in midwifery or its equivalent and a period of supervised practical training.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for midwives in Nova Scotia.

Other considerations

Most people in these jobs are self-employed. There is no mobility between these jobs without further training.

Regulations

Contacts

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