National Nurses Week is May 6 – 12; the special recognition ends on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Compassion is recognized as the primary characteristic of nurses, and these medical professionals are the backbone of numerous aspects of healthcare, including at pregnancy medical resource centers.
After achieving their goals to become registered nurses and work in pregnancy help ministry, two Wyoming nurses felt called to learn more and do more to further help women and families. A collaboration spouted, and now they plan to share office space and their unique medical practices.
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From RN to FNP
Sally Heyer, R.N. RDMS at True Care Women's Resource Center/Gayle Irwin
Rebecca Tharp received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Wyoming in 2010 and began working as an R.N. at True Care Women’s Resource Center in Casper. She provided pregnancy tests, STD testing and treatment, and limited obstetrical ultrasounds; she trained under the center’s RDMS, Sally Heyer, R.N. A few years later Tharp became Program Director, managing the center’s parenting programs, Baby & Me and Fathering in 15.
Yet, a tug on her heart propelled her to go farther.
This month, she graduates from the University of Wyoming with a doctorate degree as a family nurse practitioner.
“I spent 15 years in nursing and decided this is ultimately what I want to be when I grow up!” said Tharp. “This is the end all, be all of nursing. Nursing has a lot more theory behind it (than physician’s training), and that’s why I wanted to pursue the doctorate degree.”
The compassionate side of medical care weaves through all areas of nursing and a primary reason she focused on becoming a family nurse practitioner versus going to medical school, she added.
“Plus, I’m nearing the age of 50,” Tharp said with a chuckle.
“My ultimate goal is to care for all age spans of family practice and be that family practice provider our community lacks,” she added.
Masters in midwifery
Amber Zimmer is one of the youngest women to graduate from nursing school in Wyoming. At 20 years of age, she received her nursing license.
“I did a lot of my prerequisites while in high school, and so I was able to apply for the nursing program right out of high school. I was one of the youngest applicants to be accepted. It was interesting – I could legally distribute narcotics to patients (where she worked at the time) but couldn’t legally drink,” she said with a smile.
Zimmer also spent a few years as a nurse at True Care, providing pregnancy tests, STD testing, and limited obstetrical ultrasound. She, too, learned ultrasound from Heyer. During her tenure at True Care, Zimmer discovered her nursing passion, and, like Tharp, she felt a pull to do more.
“My passion was – and is – working with women,” Zimmer said.
She enrolled in Frontier Nursing University, a school in Kentucky with a long and strong history of midwifery services.
Zimmer graduated as a certified Nurse Midwife in 2017. Now she helps pregnant women, participates in labor and delivery with home births, and cares for new moms after the birth of their children.
“I enjoy and do everything about their care, provide holistic care and follow clients through,” Zimmer said.
She opened her own practice five years ago and has repeat clients.
“It’s really been great following up with families five years down the line, like they’re having another baby, maybe their third child, and the dynamics you get when you follow people throughout time – I love that aspect of nursing in general, the practitioner side of things,” Zimmer said.
Unique collaborations and partnerships
Earlier this year, Zimmer moved her office from the west side of Casper to a remodeled office space next to True Care. Tharp will join her at that location after she completes her summer clinical work and takes the State Nurse Family Practitioner Boards, which will likely happen in the fall. Tharp plans to start her medical practice in January 2023.
Such a collaboration is unique, Zimmer said.
“We’ll refer patients to each other and bounce ideas off each other and collaborate,” she said. “To have a Nurse Midwife and a Family Nurse Practitioner together is probably unheard of. It’s nice to have that collaboration and to see all kinds of different patients. Rebecca fills the gap seeing patients that I can’t, and then I’m able to do the labor and delivery part that Rebecca doesn’t have as part of her license. We kind of complete each other, being able to take care of people.”
“Our degrees are two different things, but we will have each to collaborate with,” said Tharp.
The two medical professionals plan to work with True Care patients when needed. Zimmer already is seeing a woman referred to her by the center who was struggling to obtain Medicaid.
“She came (to True Care) pretty late in her pregnancy and had not had prenatal care,” Zimmer explained. “She is an at-risk individual. Having that partnership with True Care to see patients who need that prenatal care will be beneficial.”
Zimmer and Tharp will be able to provide wellness for women and children.
“If moms don’t find a pediatrician they like or can go to or can afford to go to, especially if they didn’t qualify for Medicaid because her income was ‘just over’ (amount accepted), I can do well-child visits,” Tharp said. “Even moms that are struggling with health after delivery, I can do the women’s health just like Amber. So, both of us could help in that department, And I can see them when they’re planning more family. It’s everything from wellness to health maintenance. Things beyond pregnancy – I can be their primary care provider.”
“We can remind women ‘You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of your children,’” Zimmer added.
Tweet This: Two Wyoming nurses felt called to learn and do more to help women and families, and they are collaborating to offer diverse pregnancy help.
Continued learning
Learning and sharing are aspects of their profession both women said they enjoy. Tharp and Zimmer are Certified Lactation Counselors (CLCs) and assist women who have trouble breastfeeding.
“We can help them at home or in the office,” Zimmer said. “There’s a huge need for that in the community.”
They each also plan to weave more natural and holistic care into their respective practices.
For example, Zimmer seeks to learn more about NaPro TECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology), “a fertility-care based medical approach rather than a fertility-control approach to family planning and gynecological health.” The program is headed by Nebraska physician Thomas W. Hilgers and comes from Pope Paul VI’s teachings on love and life in the encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Tharp plans a similar natural care path.
There are a lot of certifications a nurse can obtain, including a Family Nurse Practitioner, Zimmer said, which not only challenges a nurse, but offers more opportunity to share knowledge and provide care to patients.
“Learning and growing – that’s one of the things I like about nursing,” Zimmer said.
Empathy for people and passion to serve are evident with Zimmer and Tharp.
“Our heart has always been on serving people,” Zimmer said. “God has given us this ministry to work with women and families and be able to provide that care for them. “We’re working with lives, not computers or machines or a number.”
“Nursing is very hands-on and is a very caring science,” Tharp said.
