Not Your Typical APRN

Melissa Trout-Baron, APN (Advanced Practice Nurse) is not your usual Primary Care Provider. When you think of an Advanced Practice Nurse you may think about the Nurse Practitioner (NP) you see in your specialist office or an NP who works in your primary care facility, but most often you will associate the NP as staff in your medical doctor’s office. Melissa’s practice is quite different. There is a growing trend of Nurse Practitioners in Private Practice. In November 2014, she opened her Court House location to the public as the first locally owned and operated primary care practice by an APN. “There are excellent local nurse practitioner owned practices, but they are behavioral health. There are also outstanding primary care NP’s in our area who work in local practices. There are, however, no NP owned primary care practices in Cape May County,” explains Trout-Baron.
Because the practice is so unique, Trout-Baron runs into a lot of misconceptions. “Sometimes patients don’t understand what we do and think we need to be working under a doctor.” A Nurse Practitioner is an independent health care provider who operates in collaboration with a State Licensed Physician. The professionals in the occupation are highly educated and well trained, holding their Master’s Degree in Advanced Nursing Practice. Melissa is fully licensed and credentialed to see any person 12 years and older for their primary care needs.
This full service Primary Care treats illness and diseases from hypertension to diabetes to obesity while focusing on health and wellness. They also do physicals, vaccines and any other services that a patient would expect from their primary care provider. If you’re looking for a more personal feeling environment, this is the office for you. “We try to have a warm, home environment that is different from the normal practice. We want it to be homey, holistic and comfortable,” explains Trout-Baron. “We look at the whole person, their lifestyle, their diet, their exercise and we try to spend the time necessary, which differentiates us.”
Currently, Melissa and other Nurse Practitioners are asking their State Representatives to sponsor the upcoming bill to allow APRN’s to have a fully autonomous practice in New Jersey. This bill will allow NP’s in New Jersey to practice to the full scope of their training and licensure and would remove the costly burden of collaborative agreements. Because there is such a shortage of Primary Care physicians, APRN’s have the opportunity to close the primary care gap and have, consistently, achieved outstanding satisfaction ratings and patient outcomes for Primary Care Services nationwide. With the approval of this bill, patients will be able to access the provider of their choice and receive excellent health care from the entire medical community.
If you are interested in learning more, call (609) 536-4066. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a nurse on call 24/7 for emergencies. Visit us at 605 S. Route 9, Suite #2, Cape May Court House. Most insurance is accepted including State Medicaid and Medicare, as well as commercial insurances such as Horizon NJ Health.