Nurse Practitioner at Sibley Hospital Outpatient Center

Just a few weeks ago I needed to have my knee checked because of discomfort that wouldn’t go away. So we went to the Med star prompt care center a few blocks away after being rejected by our doctor office. I was seen by a nurse practitioner but ended up being referred to another physician office and don’t think he really addressed the issue as it is still there. So when my husband needed something evaluated last week, the physician wouldn’t be available for weeks so he made an appointment and was also seen by a nurse practitioner at the Sibley hospital outpatient center. We much prefer going to Sibley in a quiet neighborhood compared to the difficult to navigate large medical centers. Anyway, he thought the nurse practitioner was excellent. I’m not really surprised. At one time in my nursing career I enrolled in the nurse practitioner program at Marquette University. I had a masters in nursing in administration and a peripheral vascular disease. But the majority of my career was in admin. So when I took a pharmacology class and an older adult class, the first one was daunting, but the second one was fun. I hadn’t administered medication for years and never excelled in these sorts of classes. I thought it might be a good back up plan to have another degree in senior care but in the end I stopped after these two. After all, working full time and taking classes was hard enough the first go round, and I just wasn’t as enthusiastic. But I am so glad that nurse practitioners have integrated so well in just about every setting - giving physician assistants and primary care docs a run for their money. I’m not disappointed with the decisions I made with my education. And it’s nice to see a physician like my husband appreciate a great care giver when he sees one. 

Sibley Hospital Carotid Ultrasound

Since I had an unusual visual field test last November, I had to have a repeat visit to the eye doctor in six months. Aside from that, I also had two episodes of hemianopsia - a loss of vision - a couple of months ago. I have had those episodes before, starting forty years ago, but have not had one for quite some time. So it raised some concern with my ophthalmologist last week, who ordered a carotid ultrasound to check for possible stenosis. Neither my husband nor I (a physician and a nurse) were overly concerned, but scheduled the appointment at Sibley Hospital this week. We like to go there because it is an easy campus to navigate compared to the huge medical centers, and I have a medical record there. The hospital recently went through a massive renovation, and was shiny and new. But the test was in the old imaging department on the lower level in the old building. The test itself is harmless compared to a lot of the more invasive tests and surgeries I have had over the years. I don't know what the results are yet, and should be able to find them in the electronic record. The whole experience sort of makes you think about life in general. It's a good reminder to be thankful for what you have, because things can change in a flash in such unexpected ways.