“I just love nursing”: celebrating Nurse Practitioners Week

With an emphasis on encouraging people accessing mental health support to also seek treatment for any physical health needs they might have, Alice Ryan feels a strong sense of pride at being a nurse practitioner in Alfred’s adult mental health outpatient team.

Only a few years ago, Alice had reached a stage of looking to get more out of her career, even as she still maintained her love of nursing.

“I didn’t necessarily want to be a manager, but I was looking at ways to enhance my job satisfaction,” said Alice.

This is when Alice first considered making the transition to becoming a nurse practitioner. 

“I saw it as a good opportunity to take the next step in my career while still working in the client space,” Alice explained.

Having gone through the process of completing and attaining her Master of Nursing, Alice now finds that she not only has an opportunity to make a difference in the day-to-day lives of patients, but also have a mid- to long-term impact through things such as preventive health. 

A nurse practitioner is considered an advanced senior nursing role, which includes added responsibilities such as limited prescribing rights and an ability to play an even more active role in patient care.

“On one level I can help clinicians with queries they might have which could be out of their comfort zones a little,” said Alice. “But I can also work with the bigger picture, for example maybe working with someone like a dietitian on how we might better meet a patient’s physical and mental health needs.” 

Alice particularly finds the positive impact that she can have on her clients a rewarding element of her challenging role.

“It can be really rewarding, and lovely to see the beginning of positive change,” Alice explained. “I get to build rapport and provide education at a patient’s own pace, which is something they can’t necessarily find in primary health care.” 

But while Alice might feel a great sense of pride in the impact she can have on her patients, she is also clear that one of the important parts of her role is engaging with a team who play vital roles in enabling her to provide the best level of care for her patients.  

“There is a degree of autonomy and responsibility, but it’s about achieving a balance,” said Alice. “So it’s important to be inclusive with the people you work with along the way – be they a case manager, registrar, social worker or other nurses – and ensure we are all on the same page.” 

Ultimately, Alice is glad that she decided to take the leap and become a nurse practitioner, and hopes the future will offer new opportunities for nurse practitioner roles to expand.

“I just love nursing,” Alice said.

“It is an amazing job with so many opportunities.”