Nurse practicioner fills niche
By Lori Porter
porter@theacorn.com

Some people feel that there’s a growing chasm between healthcare professionals and patients because of regulations and high costs imposed by insurance companies. But the nurse practitioner (NP) profession that started in the 1960s is gaining acceptance, and as it grows in popularity, it may be bridging that gap.

Newbury Park resident Priscilla Lee is just one of an estimated 6,000 nurse practitioners in California. Lee is a family practice nurse practitioner who works in Westlake Village with Dr. Edward Portnoy, a board certified internist who began his family practice in 1978.

Lee received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing at UCLA, enabling her to practice medicine, including diagnosing and treating patients with various medical problems and concerns.

Although NPs do not go to medical school, they provide a unique approach to healthcare that combines medicine and nursing. California NPs practice under the rules and regulations of the California State Nurse Practice Act. They have a special license to prescribe certain medications.

Nurse practitioners can generally manage about 90 percent of the health problems that confront physicians. As long as an NP has defined his or her scope of practice, they’re allowed to practice alone––without the supervison of a medical doctor.

Since Lee is a family practice nurse practitioner whose scope of practice is adults and geriatrics, she won’t treat babies and young children.

Because nurse practitioners are qualified to treat and diagnose many health concerns, physicians can spend more time with the patients they see.

An article published in 2000 by the Yale Journal on Regulation spoke about the advantages of using a NP. "It is indisputable that nurse practitioners are cost-effective healthcare providers."

Nurse practitioners give individualized care, focusing on every aspect of healthcare–including the adverse effects that illness creates for the patient and his family. When Lee visits with patients, she emphasizes wellness and self-care by giving them information to make healthy lifestyle choices.

"What I love the most about being a nurse practitioner is the patients I see. We have the most fantastic patients in this office and I feel privileged to share in their stories," Lee said. "Ed (Dr. Portnoy) is a smart doctor and a great man. I love coming to work every day." Lee also works with another nurse practitioner, Daria Schneidman, who focuses on dermatology and women’s health. "Daria is the greatest. I love working with her."

After becoming a healthcare professional, Lee spent two years working as an emergency room nurse on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. In addition, she worked in Thailand with World Vision as a nurse who helped treat refugees.

After marrying Steve Lee, a geology and earth science teacher at Pierce College, the couple moved to Newbury Park in 1988. They have two children, Matthew, 17, a senior at Newbury Park High School, and Amanda, 14, who is a freshman.