Nurse Practitioner Day celebrates an important milestone for the nursing profession.  This was the date in the year 2000 the first Nurse Practitioners were approved to practice in Australia by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

Nurse Practitioner Week runs from 7-13 December 2020.  A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a Registered Nurse with the experience, expertise and authority to diagnose and treat people of all ages with a variety of acute or chronic health conditions. Nurse Practitioners have completed additional university study at a Master’s degree level and are the most senior and independent clinical nurses in the health care system. 

There are 10 Nurse Practitioners working in the NT including Jennifer Byrnes and Matthew Maddison who work at Royal Darwin Hospital. In May 2009 Ms Byrnes became the first Nurse Practitioner appointed to a position in the NT.

Ms Byrnes works in wound management helping patients at Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) deal with everything from dog bites, leg ulcers and more complex wounds. She helps outpatients too and also visits aged care homes.

“Working as a Nurse Practitioner allows me to provide a more holistic care service than previously when I would have to refer back to a GP to prescribe antibiotics for infections, or for diagnostic bloods or swabs,” she said.

”Now as an Nurse Practitioner, I can order, diagnose and treat patients – streamlining  the service  and reducing the impact on the patient and the overall health system by having all the services provided in once place. 

“Being a Nurse Practitioner is a rewarding role as it allows me to work closely with a multidisciplinary team to achieve the best outcomes for the patient. 

“Providing a seamless service for patients to assist in navigating the complexities of wound healing and achieving the desired result for the patient is the best reward. The amazement and gratitude of a patient when a wound heals makes the effort of case management all worthwhile.”  

Mr Maddison is the newest Nurse Practitioner in the NT, having started in September 2020 after working with the Liver team for the past five years in a Clinical Nurse Consultant position.  

Mr Maddison mostly works in the out-patient setting managing patients with chronic liver disease, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, liver cancer, fatty liver, autoimmune hepatitis, and liver transplantation. 

“The Nurse Practitioner role is very autonomous and allows me to manage my patients independently with the support of my team. It is a collaborative approach to provide quality care for my patients,” he said.

“Nurse Practitioners are authorised to order and interpret pathology/radiology, and to diagnose and prescribe therapies. My role is very clinically focused and in addition to care provided at RDH and PRH, I provide telehealth and remote outreach across the Top End. 

“My role also has leadership, education, and research components. I am involved in delivering education to patients and staff.”

Nurse practitioners are innovative roles that aim to improve access to treatment, provide cost-effective care, target at-risk populations, provide outreach services in rural and remote communities; and provide mentorship and clinical expertise to other health professionals.

Media contact:

Russel Guse - 0436 933 810