Meet Shanna. Primary Care Nurse Practitioner.

Each month I have the honour of catching up to one of our team members here at Winterberry to find out more about them and celebrate them for all that they do for our patients and community.

This month, I’m shining the light on Shanna. Please read on to find out about this important member of our team!

Shanna, what’s your job title?

Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

What is your background? 

I began nursing 10 years ago.  I spent 5 years as a RN in orthopedics and in the general surgery/GI/hepatology department. I upgraded my training and have been an Nurse Practitioner (NP) for close to 5 years now. As a new NP I worked in the orthopedics department and then moved to Winterberry 4 years ago.

What made you want to go into this aspect of healthcare?

I wanted to go into primary health care because I enjoy seeing people over the continuum of their life. I am passionate about preventing illness and optimization of chronic diseases.

What type of work do you do in your role?

I see patients of all ages and stages in their life. I assess patients, order tests, diagnose, prescribe, and provide treatment. A few years ago, I obtained certification for Gender Affirming Care through Rainbow Health and have been providing gender affirming care since. I manage hormone levels, provide medications,  and complete referrals for surgery. I also aid in management of minor surgical complications.

What is the importance of this work within the clinic?

It is important that patients, regardless of gender identification, have care that allows them to feel safe and comfortable. Having a trusting open dialect with patients creates an important therapeutic alliance which creates ideal patient outcomes.

I understand you also work with community members who are not part of our clinic. Can you tell me more about this?

We started accepting referrals for Gender Affirming Care from outside clinics and community members a couple of years ago. I had met with the Hamilton Trans Coalition that indicated this was a need from the community.  We have been able to help out many community members which we are very excited about!

What’s the best part of your average day at Winterberry?

The best part of my day is when I can help make someone’s bad day a little bit better.

When you’re not improving patient and community lives, what will we find you doing?

I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. You can find me reading in my spare time, trying out new recipes, hiking, and chasing around my toddler!