By Chelsea Tucker
Nurse practitioner Maria Ceschiutti always saw herself working in health care.
“I don’t know if I ever thought of myself as anybody other than a professional in health care,” said Ceschiutti, who works out of the newly constructed collaborative health care centre in Shelburne, nestled conveniently next to Roseway Hospital.
But Ceschiutti wasn’t exactly sure what role she wanted to play in the health care system until university.
“When I learned about nurse practitioners, I just knew that job was made for me and that was absolutely what I was meant to do,” she said.
Now, it’s a self-proclaimed “perfect fit.”
Every day is a new adventure for Ceschiutti. As a nurse practitioner, her patients range from newborns to the elderly, and the problems they face vary from potential Lyme disease, to the common cold, to mental health concerns such as depression.
“Typically, it’s a bit of everything which is why I like it,” she added.
But it’s building relationships with her patients that Ceschiutti enjoys most of all.
After working with them to come up with a treatment plan, she gets to see them come back.
“You’re actually able to follow them through different stages,” which is something unique to primary care,” Ceschiutti explained.
“So you’re seeing them get better and get through the challenge they’re facing. That’s incredibly rewarding and why I love primary care.”
Ceschiutti now works in the new primary health care centre in Shelburne, after choosing to move her career and family to Nova Scotia this past fall. The new facility was what attracted her from Ontario.
“I knew as a new nurse practitioner, (that) I wanted to be on a team with other nurse practitioners and physicians, so that I could grow and learn from their experiences,” she said.
The Shelburne Family Collaborative Health Centre offers her just that.
Ceschiutti is able to collaborate with other professionals under the same roof – saving both time for both herself and her patients.
Since her arrival to Shelburne, Ceschiutti has felt welcomed both inside and outside of her practice.
“The community has been amazing – the amount of openness and caring that I’ve seen has been absolutely outstanding,” she said.
“I’m hoping more of my colleagues from Ontario will join us in this area soon. This is a community that would thrive if we had really robust health care – and I think the new centre is going to be a huge attracting point."