Columbia Nursing’s New Uptown Faculty Practice

An Update from Stephen A. Ferrara, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Assistant Professor, Columbia University School of Nursing

Opening late summer 2016, a new location of the faculty practice of Columbia University School
of Nursing, will provide the Washington Heights community with needed access to high quality nurse practitioner-partnered care at a convenient location close to where they live and work. Residents, including a portion of the community’s underserved population, will not only receive primary care delivered by a Columbia Nursing faculty member, but will also receive additional frontline integrated healthcare services in such areas as mental health and nutrition.

As part of the new location launch, we have renamed the practice—ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Group. A second office of the Nurse Practitioner Group is located in Midtown Manhattan.

The new Washington Heights facility will also provide a valuable clinical learning experience for our students. As one of the only nursing schools in the country requiring its clinical faculty to maintain an active practice, our students benefit from instructors who bring a real-world clinical perspective into the classroom. In addition, students rotating through this facility will have the opportunity to observe and learn as their faculty instructors deliver compassionate, evidence-based, and culturally competent care in a scholarly clinical environment.

Located at 516 West 168th street, the state-of-the-art practice will be just around the corner from our new school allowing our faculty and students a natural transition from the classroom to the exam room.  It will contain a series of specialized spaces intended to improve the patient experience, enable the provider to deliver the most efficient care possible, and enhance the involvement of students, including:

  • Seven exam rooms
  • Three consultation rooms
  • Patient welcome lounge
  • Spacious nurses-station/laboratory
  • A multi-purpose community space where students, practitioners, and members of the community can learn about health and wellness in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

Statistics:

  • The new Nurse Practitioner Group location will provide 30 studentsa year with clinical placements
  • It will be comprised of 7 exam rooms, 3 consultation rooms for mental health and nutritional services, and 1 multi-purpose room.
  • Specialty areas include: primary care, preventative health, travel medicine/vaccinations, mental/behavioral health, women’s health, family health, LGBT health, nutrition and wellness, disease management, and illness/injury treatment.

The Nurse Practitioner Group provides approximately 5,000 visits per year. With the addition of the new practice location, we anticipate doubling that capacity to more than 10,000 primary care visits per year. Most major insurance plans will be accepted and appointments will be flexible to allow for ease of patient scheduling.