'Nothing midlevel about our care'

Nurse practitioners are seen as midlevel practitioners, but as the demand swells for primary care providers due to COVID-19, these professionals fill the needs with enthusiasm.

In Idaho and 24 other states, NPs have full practice authority, allowing practitioners to evaluate, diagnose, order and interpret tests, and mandate treatments, including prescribing medications. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, NPs have taken their part in caring for patients, including Family Practice by the Lake owner, Jackie Wagner NP-C.

"We started testing for COVID immediately," Wagner said.

Like other regional providers and health centers, Wagner has been overloaded with COVID testing on top of regular patients. Aside from a handful of registered nurse students, Wagner practices alone.

Open for appointments three days a week, and telehealth two, she squeezes in about 80 patients a week. She sees herself as capable as other medical providers and an ally to their services.

"We're super busy. I try not to turn anyone away," Wagner said.

She opened her private clinic in 2015 after the death of her friend inspired her to change careers from a trauma nurse to a nurse practitioner. She received her master's degree from Gonzaga University.

"I decided to open up my practice to give patients the care that I felt they deserved," Wagner said.

To become an NP, an additional two to four years of nursing education is required above registered nurses, a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree.

"There's a term out there called midlevel, and it is somewhat insulting to us NP's because there's nothing midlevel about our care," Wagner said.

The profession has been around since the 1960s, but it is still not fully recognized nationally as full-service providers.

Wagner believes through the service of her practice and other nurse practitioners around the county, a difference has been made in Idaho's medical care.

"We're adding to doctors and providers and making medicine better," she said.