A high-level official at a medical center in Central Virginia is thankful for the assistance offered by two nurse practitioners who help handle demands presented by the more than 200 patients who typically show up every day, according to a published report.
Those two nurses offer the same care to the patients of the Central Virginia Community Health Center that doctors provide, Med City News reports. The clinic is located in Buckingham County, which is suffering from a shortage of primary care physicians. One of those physicians is Joseph Smiddy.
"Dr. Smiddy would murder me if I called him every time a complex case walked through the door," nurse practitioner Teresa Gardner told the news source. "They're all complex. Most of them are train wrecks. I'd love to treat someone with a common cold."
Gardner and Paula Meade hold nursing jobs and serve people who come to the facility from four different counties.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses help patients and their families by coordinating patient care and by providing advice and emotional support.