In February, Dr. E. Doug Larsen and his team at Pine Top Medical welcomed nurse practitioner Janis Pitchforth to their team. Pitchforth was a great addition to the team with over 10 years of experience at Castleview Hospital as a nurse and supervisor as well as 15 years of overall nursing experience.
Castleview Hospital had never, in the past, had a nurse practitioner with credentials to the facility. However, Pitchforth valued her time in the hospital greatly and enjoyed working with the patients there as deeply as the time she spent with patients in private practice.
This brought the desire for Pitchforth to earn her credentials for the hospital. Dr. Larsen stated that he and Pitchforth proposed the idea to Mark Holyoak, who was the CEO of the hospital at the time, that the work on Pitchforth’s credentials begin. From there, the long process of reaching her goal started.
To earn her credentials in the hospital, Pitchforth had to have a set number of hours served as well as complete a great deal of paperwork and be certified not only with a degree, but with a certification test as well. Pitchforth was also tasked with going forward and meeting with the Medical Executive Committee as well as the Castleview Hospital Board of Trustees.
Dr. Larsen stated that certain bylaws also had to be altered to allow for Pitchforth to be credentialed. Pitchforth took a great amount of time to prove that she had the competency, medical background and experience. The entire process took nearly six months but was recently completed. Pitchforth is not only the first nurse practitioner to be credentialed at Castleview Hospital, but the first female practitioner as well.
“I am extremely happy and proud of her for what she has done,” Dr. Larsen stated.
Dr. Larsen continued by stating that Pitchforth has worked diligently to reach her goals and deserves it all 100%. To Dr. Larsen, it will benefit the community greatly to have a second provider and another option for patients. He concluded by crediting Pitchforth with being extremely passionate about her line of work.