Our clinic is owned and operated by a Nurse Practitioner, Kara Diersing Clapp. She earned her PhD in 2005 and is Dr. Kara. "Doctor" is an educational title held by many professionals in health care. What is a Nurse Practitioner (NP)? Nurse Practitioners hold advanced degrees at the Masters and Doctorate levels. They are RNs who have been trained in advanced techniques of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of many common illnesses. We have been around since 1965, but are the best kept secret in healthcare. Most NPs do not work for themselves, so chances are you have met an NP in a physician's office. We treat acute illnesses like strep throat, flu, eye infections, sexually transmitted infections, etc. We also treat chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, asthma, etc. NPs can also provide urgent care services such as laceration repairs, casting fractures, administering IV fluids for nausea and vomiting. We also do health promotion activities like mammograms, PAP smears, prostate exams, physicals (sport, school, work, DMV, etc), cholesterol screenings, etc. We also have full prescriptive privileges in the state of Utah; however, methadone and suboxone are physician only drugs. We can also do in-office procedures like toenail removals, incision and drainage of abcesses, etc.
This is just a partial list of services that a NP can provide. Its very similar to the work you see physicians do, except that NPs have a nursing background. We meet the same medical standards for care that physicians must meet. Research over the last 40 years has consistently shown that outcomes are similar for NP care but patient satisfaction is higher. However we are not right for everyone. To find out if we are right for you, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is my time as valuable as the next person's?
- Do I believe should be getting a lot more for my healthcare dollar than I get now?
- Do I think my current provider should be more attentive to me?
- Do I really have time in my life to spend waiting?
- Am I willing and able to keep an appointment?
- Do I deserve better than I'm getting now?
- Is being able to schedule an appointment any time of the day or night important to me?
- Do I feel like my current healthcare is chaotic and impersonal?
If you can answer yes to any these questions, then Doctor Kara, PC Nurse Practitioner Clinic is right for you.