The People of Primary Care
Comprehensive care across the lifespan with Isabella Rees, Nurse Practitioner
The second week of November is Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week. We’d like to recognize the positive impact Ontario’s NPs make within primary health care and in the lives of their patients.
Please Introduce Yourself
Isabella Rees, Nurse Practitioner – Health Care at Eva Rothwell Centre
What Do You Do?
As a Nurse Practitioner in primary care, I provide comprehensive care to patients across the lifespan, focusing on health promotion, disease prevention, and the management of both acute and chronic health conditions. My role encompasses health assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of medical concerns, as well as coordinating care and facilitating referrals to interdisciplinary team members and specialists when needed.
What brought you to this profession?
My interest in human physiology and a desire to work in a profession where I could directly help others is what initially led me to nursing. While working as a nurse, I had an itch to continue to learn and advance my practice to become more autonomous – which led to me pursuing the NP path.
What brings you joy in this role?
The ability to get to know entire families and maintain longstanding clinical relationships with patients is what makes primary care so special. I also enjoy working through the diagnostic process – it often feels like doing detective work, trying to put the pieces together to find out what is causing a patient’s problem. Of course it’s also very satisfying whenever a patient tells me that a treatment I prescribed for them worked!
How does working in an interprofessional primary care team support the work you do?
Health care is a team sport. Primary care providers have to be jacks of all trades, and we rely on interdisciplinary team members with expertise in their respective areas in order to meet all of our patients’ needs. The ability to refer patients for interdisciplinary care is essential to offer the most comprehensive, high quality care to patients. I learn a lot by collaborating with professionals from other disciplines, and can apply that knowledge to my own practice.
What is something patients are often surprised to learn you can help with?
The NP role is still unfamiliar to some patients, who may be uncertain about what an NP can do. Not all patients are aware that NPs can offer the full spectrum of primary health care services, just as they would expect from a family doctor – including ordering tests, diagnosing conditions, prescribing medications, performing minor procedures, and managing complex health conditions.
What’s something your colleagues and patients would be surprised to learn about you?
Patients and colleagues may be surprised to learn that I used to travel the world playing high level handball, including playing for Team Canada! Although I no longer play sports competitively, I enjoy staying active with pilates, pickleball, snowboarding, and going to professional sports games as a spectator (mostly soccer and hockey)!
Where can we find you when you’re not in the office?
When I can, I enjoy taking time to visit my family and friends in my home province of Alberta. Here I am snow-shoeing on a frozen lake in Jasper, Alberta.
Thank you Isabella, and all NPs, for all that you do. NPs play a unique and complementary role in the healthcare system, practicing autonomously while integrating advanced clinical knowledge, diagnostic skills, and specialized expertise.