One of the solutions proposed to overcome the lack of doctors in France: the creation, in 2016, of a new profession, that of nurse in advanced practice (IPA). The first promotion, trained in Limousin, came out in 2021. A dozen now practice in our territory, as a liberal or in the hospital. Portrait of two of them.
“Above all, the interest of my job is to support the doctor in the territory. In the sense that, like everywhere, there is a medical desertification”, explains Frantz Clermont. The latter is part of the first class of nurses in advanced practice (IPA) trained in Limoges. Graduated in 2021, he exercises this new profession within the Millesoins division, on the Millevaches plateau.
These new professionals free up doctors’ time by carrying out some of their tasks. They follow a two-year master’s degree allowing them to carry out broader missions.
From the same promotion, Claire Avril worked as a liberal nurse for 20 years before going back to school to learn new skills. Today, she is an IPA in a doctor’s office and in nursing homes. “The profession of liberal nurse is exciting, interesting but also physically very difficult. It was to give new impetus to my last part of my career”she says.
In Bugeat, Frantz Clermont takes charge of part of the doctor’s consultation : renewals of treatments and follow-up of chronic patients. With them, he does not hesitate to plan slots of more than one hour. “If we take the example of a diabetic patient, even if this patient has had diabetes for more than ten years, well there are bad habits that can be adopted and, casually, we realizes that by taking the time to explain certain things to patients, they understand better and a well-understood disease is better managed.“
Claire Avril works at the Châteauneuf-la-Forêt nursing home one morning a week. She sees each resident once every two months, alternating with their attending physician, which allows for more regular follow-up. “In my role, I will have a more global visit, on the life of the patient within the nursing home, his daily life, his difficulties and the clinical part also of clinical monitoring”she explains. “If it can lighten the work of general practitioners, I am delighted, happy”rejoices a patient of the Ehpad.
In Bugeat, the general practitioner continues consultations, 30 per day. The arrival of an IPA was a real relief.
“Honestly, I was starting to panic that I didn’t have enough time to practice the way I wanted to, which was to make time for patients, because too many patients, like everyone is retiring around…”testifies Aude Vandenbavière, general practitioner in Bugeat.
Given the current context of medical desertification throughout France, and not just here, I don’t see how we can do without them, really.
Aude Vandenbavière, general practitioner in BugeatFrance 3 Limousin
“We have patients who will be more and more polypathological, who will chronicize certain pathologies and for me the IPA has its role at 100% in these missions, without having to replace the doctor. For me it is complementary”, considers Emilie Matonnat-Dauge, coordinating doctor Ehpad de Châteauneuf. For her, IPAs are essential to nursing homes.