Region's first: Nurse Practitioner – Most Responsible Provider model
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who have additional education that authorizes them to order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications and other treatments, as well as admit and discharge hospital patients in Ontario. NPs have been the fastest growing category of nursing in Canada since 2015 and there are currently over 4,000 NPs in Ontario.
Last month, Park Place welcomed QCH's second Nurse Practitioner, Raquel Farrar (on the right in photo above). The site also transitioned to a Nurse Practitioner – Most Responsible Provider (NP-MRP) model. This means that our NPs Julissa and Raquel are independently managing the care of all ALC patients at Park Place, from admission to discharge. QCH is one of the first organizations in the region to implement NPs as MRPs!
About Julissa
Julissa Edgar was the first NP to join the Department of Geriatrics at QCH in 2021 and has been supporting off-site clinical operations ever since. Julissa completed her NP training at the University of Toronto in 2019 and has worked in diverse clinical settings throughout her nursing career, ranging from primary to critical care. Julissa is a familiar face to many staff at QCH, having started her nursing career in our ICU back in 2013. Julissa is passionate about the NP role and regularly supervises NP students completing clinical placements at QCH. She has been teaching in the NP program at the University of Ottawa since early 2023.
About Raquel
Raquel Farrar brings 19 years of nursing experience with her. She spent 10 years as an Emergency Department Registered Nurse, and nine years as a NP. She studied nursing in her homeland, Brazil, and came to Canada just one year after graduating. As an ED RN in British Columbia, she worked in diverse settings; from small rural hospitals, remote and Indigenous communities, to the largest tertiary centre in BC, Vancouver General Hospital. She also spent a year working with Doctors Without Borders, in Colombia. After completing her Masters with the University of Northen British Columbia, she spent five years in the Yukon, helping to establish the NP profession and providing primary care for patients with mental health and addictions. She also started a nonprofit called Yukon Cares, which has been helping with the resettlement of refugees in the Yukon ever since. Since moving to Ontario, she has been working in primary care until her new position at QCH. Raquel loves to sing and you can look for her face in the choir if you ever watch any of the Ottawa Choral Society concerts.