Allied Primary Health Practitioners

Nature of work

Allied primary health practitioners nurse practitioners, physician assistants, anesthesia assistants, and midwives who provide primary health care and treatment in conjunction with physicians and in collaboration with other health professionals. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide a range of health services to patients delivering preventive and continuous care toward the management of patients' health. Anesthesia assistants participate in the care of the stable surgical patient during sedation anesthesia through medical directives under the supervision of an anesthesiologist. Midwives provide full-course care to women and their babies during the pre- and post-natal period. Nurse practitioners work in community health centres, hospitals, long-term care, clinics, and rehabilitation centres. Anesthesia assistants work in hospitals. Midwives work in hospitals, clinics, birthing centres or in private practice. Physician assistants usually work in private practice, including group or team practices, hospitals, and clinics.

Job duties

Nurse practitioners:

• 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.
• Work with members of an interdisciplinary health team like family physicians, therapists, and nutritionists to plan, implement, coordinate, and evaluate patient care in consultation with patients and their families.

Anesthesia assistants:

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

Midwives:

• 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 on caring for newborns and young infants.

Physician assistants:

• Conduct patient interviews, physical assessments and take medical histories.
• Complete or order diagnostic tests and interpret results.
• Make and implement treatment plans and monitor patients' progress in consultation with a supervising physician.
• Perform and help in minor surgery.
• Provide health maintenance education.
• May participate in research activities.
• May prescribe from a limited list of medications.

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.
• Physician assistants require completion of a university degree in a physician assistant program.

Other considerations

• There is no mobility between these jobs without further training.

Regulations

Contacts