Women's Health Nurse Practitioners

Article Outline

 

Women comprise more than half the world's population, and studies indicate that women not only seek healthcare more often than men but also respond differently to treatments—and providers. Enter women's health nurse practitioners (WHNPs), clinicians who have undertaken the highly specialized training and made the commitment necessary to best meet the healthcare needs of this population. Across the lifespan, women have unique concerns that require sensitivity, insight, compassion, and trust between provider and patient; WHNPs are wholly qualified for this role.

Vicki Denson, MSN, WHNP, says, “A successful WHNP must respect women as decision makers in their healthcare and understand that women respond differently than men to wellness and disease. …As a WHNP I have the advanced education and clinical skills to combine the psychosocial, spiritual, biological, and medical aspects necessary to treat women holistically throughout the lifespan, with an emphasis on reproductive and gynecologic care. However, a WHNP also must be knowledgeable regarding acute and chronic illness. Many women do not have a primary care provider and seek a WHNP for reasons other than pregnancy or gynecological care. The WHNP must decide what health conditions can be managed and when to refer the woman to another healthcare specialist.”

She continues: “The WHNP must have good listening and communication skills. Women have relayed to me that they want a provider who will listen to their complaints without quickly dismissing them as psychosomatic. Flexibility and the ability to work independently, as well as the ability to take responsibility and make sound clinical judgments, are critical to success.”

What other professional and personal skills are essential for WHNPs? Clarissa Agee Shavers, DNSc, WHNP–BC, says skills should include “the ability to work collaboratively and therapeutically with patients on all levels, including primary, secondary, and tertiary. In addition, it is important to be developmentally, ethnically, and culturally sensitive to the needs of your patients in an effort to provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and excellent healthcare.”

WHNPs work across settings, from traditional facilities like private practices and hospitals to specialized clinics and research labs. Shavers says, “The WHNP specialty area is expanding in many areas, including translational research, reproductive genetics and genomics, evidence-based, inquiry-based, and private practice.” Denson mentions “reproductive endocrinology and infertility as a subspecialty area of practice for WHNPs that presents the opportunity to develop trusting relationships with women and offer counseling, support, and education as they battle infertility.”

Clinicians' knowledge base has expanded as science reveals more information about women's health. Joellen W. Hawkins, RN, WHNP-BC, PhD, FAAN, FAANP, says, “We must always be learning more about heart disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, urinary tract conditions, thyroid conditions, cancers that affect women disproportionately, risk factors unique to women for chronic diseases, and the health care needs of women as they age. We have to immerse ourselves in learning and helping our patients adopt preventive care lifestyles, such as diet, exercise, smoking cessation, moderate alcohol consumption, and risks for violence (domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault). …The science of cancer care is exploding, as is that for care of heart disease in women and care for incontinence. New drugs, surgical interventions, and other technology are emerging every year, and keeping up with options for patients is essential.”

Women are also living longer, mandating a deeper understanding of geriatrics. Denson says, “Life expectancy of women has increased to an average age of 80 years, increasing the complexity of health conditions women seek treatment for. With the aging population, the WHNP must stay up-to-date with current research on hormone therapy in order to appropriately educate women and effectively prescribe treatment.” Jan DiSantostefano, MS, NP, concurs: “As women live longer, with almost as much of life after menopause as before, the care of women in the second half of life has had a second look.”

What other challenges do WHNPs face? Hawkins says, “Keeping up with the literature, both professional and lay, is a daily challenge so that we continue to provide the best care based on the available evidence. Intellectual curiosity is essential, to constantly keep reading and learning. A basic working knowledge of complementary and alternative therapies is also essential as more women seek these out.”

Denson says, “There are no words to fully describe the incredible privilege I have as a WHNP to be involved in the care of a life that is developing within a pregnant woman seeking my care.” If you're ready to make a positive difference in women's lives, check out the job listings on the following pages.