In Dijon, the first promotion of advanced practice nurses (IPA) arrives on the ground
In the corridor of the oncology department of Dijon University Hospital, Delphine Burignat is smiling. The newly graduated advanced practice nurse (APN) is proud to see her name appear below that of the medical professors in the department.
The last two years, Delphine decided to resume her studies to follow the IPA training in Dijon. Today, she has an equivalent of Bac + 5. “My job is to ensure the follow-up of patients with chronic diseases who are under. The doctor, when he goes to see the patient will make a diagnosis and initiate treatment. And then the advanced practice nurse will be able to take the relay of this follow-up. _It can add anti-cancer treatments, but also drugs for side effects related to chemo_. “
Broadening of skills
At Dijon University Hospital, Delphine Burignat works with Côme Lepage, Professor of hepato-gastroenterology. For him, this new job brings a breath of fresh air: _“advanced practice nurses will be able to relieve us in our daily doctor’s life_, which allows us to have more time for our other patients in one part, and to take care of more patients, which is necessary. Everyone wins, especially the patients. The APIs offer the patient an even more regular follow-up than we can no longer have, because of the workload that we currently have “.
Each IPA also had to choose one of the four “mentions” Offered during the training:
- Oncology (for cancer patients)
- Mental Health (for psychiatry)
- Nephrology (for kidney disease)
- Polypathologies (for patients with diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy or Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases)
Being an IPA is also an extremely human-oriented function – Elodie Klein, IPA in Semur en Auxois in Côte d’Or
Elodie Klein has been a nurse for ten years. She works in the Semur en Auxois hospital and for a few days at the nursing home from the city. She decided to do this IPA training because she wanted a new challenge in her professional life.
“What I wanted most of all was take charge of my patient differently and above all bring more humanity, bring something else to the patient. What I appreciate is having the time to talk to them, to talk a bit about everything, about life, about hassles , in short, to listen to things that they will not necessarily say to the doctor “.
Because that’s also the role of IPAs, have time to take time with your patient, and to be able, if necessary offer the services of a social worker, a dietitian or a psychologist.
And it’s not Christelle Penneçot which will contradict all that. She is responsible for the Master IPA in Dijon. For two years, it was she who taught scientific practice but also this “human” aspect to nurses: “they will cross other spheres like the social, the family, maybe even the financial because illness affects life in several ways and at some point, the patient must be able to deliver this in a calm and trusting atmosphere and _the IPA will put the conditions in place for this word to be accepted_“.
A profession of passion, it is obvious. The only downside: compensation. At the end of their training, IPAs will only earn 40 to 60 euros more per month.