Elisha is one of the first Nurse Practitioners to join the Pharmacist Walk-in Clinic+ (PWIC+), a new innovative collaborative care model in partnership with Sobeys and Lawtons Drugs that pairs a Pharmacist and Nurse Practitioner in a clinical setting to provide Nova Scotians with access to care closer to home.
Originally from Cape Breton, Elisha graduated from Dalhousie University with a bachelor's in science and a major in psychology. After graduation, she lived in Winnipeg and then moved to Ontario where she worked for over ten years as an Emergency Nurse. Elisha had always wanted to go back to university, so in September 2019, with both her kids now in school, she started her master's in nursing at Queens University to become a Nurse Practitioner.
“When COVID hit, I was needed as a care provider to get through the pandemic, but I was also attending school for my master’s, all while helping my kids with school—which was now all virtual and at home. It was very isolating. When I found out about this new innovative care model in my home province, and that they were looking for an NP, I was very excited and immediately applied.”
Elisha moved back to Nova Scotia in June 2022, where she is now the lead Nurse Practitioner at the PWIC+ Truro.
“It has been such a valuable learning experience working alongside my colleague, Helen. Helen’s extensive knowledge and background in medication management totally complements my more clinical-based education. We’re able to do so much more together for patients.”
When discussing the positive impact of the PWIC+, Elisha highlights how pivotal the collaborative model has been in helping patients manage their chronic illnesses.
“Patients, especially if they are unattached, come in because they had a flare-up caused by their chronic illness. At the PWIC+, Helen and I can truly help them before it turns into a crisis. We look at their medication, their symptoms, adjust and follow up over time. We are actively preventing health crises from happening.”
As a former Emergency Nurse, Elisha understands the importance of alleviating strain on emergency departments and wants to ensure patients are receiving timely, appropriate access to care.
“I see patients every day who would have walked into the emergency department because they had nowhere else to go. If I can help prevent emergency department visits, I’ve accomplished my goal.”
Elisha also has a unique perspective on the success of the PWIC+ and the positive difference the collaborative care team has made in patients’ long-term care.
"In the emergency department, we treat patients and rarely see them again. I love that at PWIC+ we get to see patients more than once. Here I get to ask, "Did the treatment work?" If not, we adjust things and can leverage the pharmacist's extensive medication knowledge. We’re constantly working as a team, optimizing, and seeing a real positive impact in the quality of patients’ lives.”
