Primary care, also known as relationship-oriented care, is a form of care that focuses on the continuum of care. A nurse (usually working with a nursing assistant) cares for a small group of hospitalized patients in the nursing ward of a hospital. A “junior nurse” is responsible for making sure that the same group of patients gets all the care they need in a particular area. Therefore, primary care nursing is the part of the nursing field that focuses on providing primary care to patients.
Primary care is the patient’s first point of contact with healthcare. For example, when a patient goes to the doctor’s office for a test, sore throat treatment, or other medical care, he or she talks with a primary care provider. Primary care nurses can diagnose, treat, and manage many conditions on their own or with the help of a doctor. They may also refer the patient to another doctor if the problem is outside of their care. For example, if the sore throat is caused by cancer in the trachea, the patient will be referred to an oncologist.
As LVN schools in California know, most acute care hospitals in Northern California use this model of care to provide better, more effective care for their patients. The law requires each nurse to care for no more than five patients. Most acute care hospitals that use this model do so to comply with this law while saving money. To do this, they hire nurses who are good at managing time, can do more than one thing at a time and know how to provide direct care to patients in an effective and efficient way. Most primary care nurses are satisfied with their jobs and have learned to use this model of care. They say that their patients receive more personalized care, which makes nurses feel valued and they have more job satisfaction. These nurses do not rely on their nurse assistants or nurse partners to care for their patients or conduct patient care. These nurses feel that they know their patients so well that they can take better care of them. Nurses also believed that their patients would be happier and get better faster if they knew their nurses well and received more consistent care. Most studies show that these hospitals also have high customer satisfaction.
The primary care model is used in Obama’s hometown, Hawaii, where he was born. Some believe primary care will be part of health care reform that Congress and lobbyists are trying to pass laws to create the best healthcare environment possible. In California, becoming an LVN is a great way to understand the health care system. After that, you can progress to the RN program and become a junior nurse.