Nurse Practitioner (matanga “expert”; tapuhi “nurse”)
We are very excited to now have two dedicated, passionate and locally-grown cardiology nurse practitioners (NP) working to improve the heart health of our community.
Kristen Willock joins Tracy Low as two of only 19 Cardiology Nurse Practitioners across New Zealand.
Together they have a wealth of clinical expertise and experience with a combined 60 years in nursing with 40 of those years dedicated to remote rural cardiology services.
Our region
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in New Zealand. Currently, it affects more than 1 in 23 adults and almost a third of all deaths are attributed to heart, stroke and blood vessel damage. Unfortunately, CVD disproportionately affects Māori with total CVD mortality more than twice as high in Māori than in non-Māori.
Our region, like others, has many patients who are dealing with heart health issues.
“Access to cardiology services in a timely manner is incredibly important and can not only save lives but also keep people living well in our communities with heart disease instead of presenting to hospital, ” says Kristen.
Kristen now joins Tracy and Dr Gerry Devlin to help reduce the specialist assessment waitlist locally for cardiology. Kristen and Tracy’s roles as NPs are seen as very important in growing support to our rural communities, with access compounded by the current pressure on the healthcare system.
The Role
Nurse practitioners, such as Kristen and Tracy, play a valuable role in healthcare, especially for rural communities.
Nurse practitioners have the legal authority and are qualified to diagnose, investigate, and prescribe - including controlled drugs and specialty authorities (with the exception of section 29 drugs) and certification of all types.
Within their scope of cardiology, they have direct access to a range of cardiac investigations and can refer for consideration of treatment procedures such as PCI, CABG and valve surgery to help their patients achieve the best outcome. Working autonomously and collaboratively within various multidisciplinary teams – NP can oversee entire episodes of care for patients as the lead clinician.
Education
The path to becoming a nurse practitioner includes a three-year Bachelor of Nursing and four-year Master of Nursing, followed by an internship year that consolidates academia, experience, practice, and rigorous case base assessments, of which 150 hours are of prescribing practicum working under supervision with a senior clinical and academic mentor.
The final assessment for NP registration is made by an accredited Nursing Council panel for assessment of competence (three-hour case study panel examination) and portfolio presentation.
Mentorship and support.
Kristen and Tracy want to give special thanks to Dr. Gerry Devlin, local cardiologist consultant for his fortuitous oversight in the local creation of the cardiology NP role in 2020 with Tracy as the first appointment and the continuation of the cardiology nurse practitioner role with the second appointment of Kristen this year.