National Nurse Practitioner Week highlights critical care providers at Memorial Health

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Nurse practitioner Jessi Bohannon helps care for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives at Memorial Health’s critical care unit.

“Being a part of a patient’s journey, especially in the critical care space, is being a part of a patient and their family’s lives in some of the most vulnerable times of their life,” Bohannon said.

National Nurse Practitioner Week, observed Nov. 8-14, recognizes the health care professionals who care for patients across the country.

At Memorial Health, nurse practitioners work alongside doctors and nurses to provide lifesaving treatment and develop patient care plans. They also assist with intubation and other bedside procedures, said Melissa Harris, the unit’s critical care nurse manager.

Nurse practitioners have not always had a permanent presence in the unit. Bohannon said they joined the critical care team about seven years ago after an assessment found that the hospital needed more providers to care for patients.

“There became more patients than people to care for the patients,” Bohannon said.

Harris said nurse practitioners bring an understanding of bedside nursing to the team because they begin their careers as nurses before advancing to their current roles.

“It’s nice to have that cohesiveness and have someone who really understands kind of what you’re going through at the bedside,” Harris said.

Bohannon said her faith inspires her work.

“What gets me through each day is knowing that I’m doing work that I’m called to do,” she said. “I’m doing work that allows me to hopefully help people even in the most vulnerable times of their life.”

The Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce reports that 5,000 new advanced practice nurses and nurse practitioners earned licenses from 2020 to 2025, the largest percentage increase among license types.