I spent many years in the trenches battling disease, fighting death, and trying to help patients return to health. Sometimes I was there when they took their last breath. Sometimes, I was there to say, "No, not today" when a patient asked, "Am I going to die?"
Every one of my patients had something in common. I was loosing the battle. I was not returning them to a healthy state. I was managing their illness until the next dose increase. Before I left the ED (Emergency Department), I vowed I never wanted to end up as "one of those patients" aka "the train wrecks." These were the patients that were morbidly obese, had multiple diseases, on numerous medications that took not one set but maybe two or three sets of hands to count. These were the patients that were in and out of the hospital. When I went into primary care, this meant they were in and out of my office. And in today's world of low insurance reimbursements, this meant I had very little time to address the true needs of the patient. This really translates to:
1. No time to teach and educate a patient
2. No time to dedicate to patients to really teach them lifestyle modification
3. Limited follow up to monitor and patient's progress
4. I was constrained in how I wanted to practice
5. Was I really preventing disease?
6. Was I really making an impact and difference?
7. Was I really getting to the root cause of disease?
Nurses like to teach. We like to be a part of our patient's lives. It's how we are developed as baby nurses. It's what sets us apart in the medical profession. Nurses are different. NURSES MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO LIVES. We are not doctors, don't pretend to be doctors, and we know our scope of practice. Some of us have gone on to pursue advanced degrees and specialized our crafts to touch and change lives for the better. This is why Functional & Integrative Medicine.
Functional and Integrative Medicine gets to the root cause of disease. Functional Medicine uses lifestyle modification, diet, and wellness to PREVENT disease. Notice PREVENT. I want to keep people well. And now integrative medicine - there are times when modern medicine must play her part in disease management.
So I left mainstream medicine to pursue my own thing. Those that really know me are not really surprised. I do tend to walk to the beat of my own drum. But it was time for a change. It is time for me to make my own rules and practice the way I want to practice. God gave us free will and knowledge. What a gift to be able to use both to care for people.
I have established a Functional and Integrative Medicine Practice called Fulton Gibbs Wellness. How did I come up with the name? Fulton and Gibbs Halls are the names of the two engineering buildings at the US Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point. A little nod to my Alma Mater.
I am offering health coaching along with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and weight management. Obesity is the root cause of all disease. Every one of my active, energetic, healthy, mentally intact ninety something's all had three things in common: they all exercised (weight control), ate well, and had a grateful heart. It's just that simple.
KPS '97
Elizabeth Bagan, APRN, NP-C, ENP-C is a Family and Emergency Nurse Practitioner who has changed her focus to preventative disease and health promotion with a specialization in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and functional & integrative medicine. Elizabeth is currently providing BHRT and functional medicine services to her patients in her Jacksonville clinic Fulton Gibbs Wellness.
