SCOPE OF PRACTICE
The Role of Nurse Practitioners : A Pediatrician ’ s Personal Journey
The first time I encountered a nurse practitioner ( NP ), I had just joined East Louisville Pediatrics and was introduced to Virginia ( Jinny ) Hunt and Susan ( Sue ) Buehner . Now I conceptually knew what an NP provided to a physician ’ s office , but I had not had the opportunity to work with a nurse practitioner . The concept was attractive , and Jinny and Sue had been with East Louisville Pediatrics for many years when I joined .
What if , I wondered , this experience would enable me to have more choices moving forward in my pediatric practice ? Could Jinny and Sue represent an augmentation to my practice with more rewarding outcomes ? Little did I know that over 20 years of private practice , Jinny and Sue would shape my understanding of what the role of a nurse practitioner represents in a pediatric office and how an effective collaboration can enhance a medical practice .
12 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
Left - Sue Buehner , Right - Jinny Hunt
by PATRICIA PURCELL , MD , MBA
Let me share my story by introducing the two wonderful women who would work side by side with me at East Louisville Pediatrics for greater than 20 years . Susan ( Sue ) Buehner obtained a BS in nursing from Texas Christian University in 1967 and then followed with an MS in pediatric nursing at Indiana University in 1973 . Beginning at the Children & Youth ( C & Y ) Project in Louisville , Sue completed the Pediatric Nurse Associates Program with Dr . Sofia Franco as her sponsor and subsequent employer . Sue then joined East Louisville Pediatrics in 1978 , initially working with Dr . Dan Garcia and Dr . Jake Althaus . Per Sue , “ I was one of the first NPs in Louisville – before me there was one at the Health Dept and one at Park Duvalle .” Virginia ( Jinny ) Hunt earned an MS from Boston College in 1973 , then completed a two-year program called “ The Macy Program ,” developed by Harvard Medical School and the Boston College School of Nursing , with faculty from both . It was the first such program in Boston specifically designed to prepare registered nurses to work collaboratively with physicians . After completing the program and a short stint in Kansas City and Salt Lake City , Jinny joined Drs . Garcia and