NEPQR, November 2020: Recently, Kirsten Schmutz and Jennifer Macali had the opportunity to visit the healthcare team at Wayne County Health Clinic in Bicknell, Utah. The University of Utah faculty both teach in population-based clinical settings and jumped at the opportunity to learn more about the Primary Care nursing practiced in rural Utah.
Over the course of three days, Kirsten and Jennifer observed and participated in nurse-led wellness visits, management of patients with chronic illness, and learned more about the needs of the patients in rural Utah and what the clinic is doing to try to meet those needs. Not only were the faculty welcomed to work with the team, the team clearly demonstrated a cohesive working dynamic where nurses have the opportunity to practice to the highest part of their license; providing a spectrum of care from preventative to acute. The nurses must be prepared at any moment to handle whatever comes in from giving a flu shot, to basic OB/GYN ultrasounds, to assisting with suturing, to a full-blown code. They also run their own labs (including the centrifuge) and clean and sterilize their own equipment. They really are the jacks-of-all-trades.
After visiting this site, Jennifer and Kirsten are more excited about the Primary Care opportunities available to undergraduate students at the U. These opportunities will expose students to critical thinking and decision making that they may not otherwise have experienced when working in hospital-based clinic settings. Starting during the 2021 semester, all students will have the opportunity to work at a Primary Care designated clinic site.
Kirsten and Jennifer want to sincerely thank the NEPQR team for making this opportunity available to faculty and look forward to collaborating with Primary Care partners in the future. Not only did they fully engage with the Wayne County Clinic, but they also had some fun while in beautiful Southern Utah!
Learn more about Wayne Community Health Center and Utah's NEPQR.
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