Lisa Guidry, RN, BN, MN-NP, currently holds a position with Horizon Health Network as a nurse practitioner (NP) in gerontology, providing primary health care to approximately 150 people in two New Brunswick nursing homes. She practises with a client-centred focus and adopts the “Eden” principles, designed to make people feel as “at-home” as possible with respect and dignity.
Lisa started her career in general surgery and later moved to labour and delivery, where she became an assistant unit manager and soon began sharing her knowledge. She facilitated an emergency medical seminar for emergency medical technicians and lectured on traumatic births. Educating others remained central to Lisa when she began working as a unit manager in orthopedic surgery, where she established an online education portal for patients and their families, the Orthopedic Patient Education Centre.
In her current position as a primary health care NP, Lisa has set the bar high by offering education to registered nurses (RNs) and excellent primary care to the residents, along with illness-prevention strategies. The two facilities in which she practises have seen reduced numbers of residents being admitted to hospital. She has also initiated evidence-based and family-focused family support meetings for those who have a family member living with dementia.
Lisa has also been and will continue to be a voice for the vulnerable. She has advocated for dignity and comfort through workshops and one-to-one teaching with RNs in the two nursing homes where she works. She responds to complex medical situations through assessment, diagnosis and therapeutic interventions.
The words of Lisa’s clinical manager encapsulate what she means to those working around her: “Lisa has been such an inspiration for me in my career. Just being in her presence makes you want to excel, to do more and to do it better.”