What is an advanced practice nurse?

An advanced practice nurse (often called advanced practice registered nurse or APRN) is a registered nurse who has furthered their education to attain a masters or doctorate degree in nursing as a Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Midwife, or Nurse Anesthetist. Upon graduating they take a national board certification exam and apply for licensure with the state in which they wish to practice. Certification and licensure must be maintained in order to practice, this means ongoing continuing education and practice hours to qualify for renewal.

In many states (including Oregon & Washington) Advanced Practice Nurses are able to practice independently without physician oversight and able to diagnose and treat conditions, order testing, and prescribe medications. In some states APRNs must have a collaborating physician involved in their practice.

You may see various terminology describing advanced practice nurses, this can make it confusing for patients & providers alike.

There is a push for all states to utilize the terminology Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) followed by the type of APRN (example: APRN-CNS or APRN-NP), but not all states have adopted standardized terminology. An example being Washington state, which is one of few states using the term Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP). In Washington Tasha is referred to as: ARNP-Clinical Specialist). These all mean Advanced Practice Nurse, as described above. (source)

What is a clinical nurse specialist?

Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) are one of four types of advanced practice nursing roles (nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists are the other three types). CNSs in most states have similar scope of practice as Nurse practitioners (NPs). However, while nurse practitioners focus primarily on direct patient care, CNSs are known for practicing in three spheres of influence –patients, nurses, and healthcare systems.

CNSs hold a masters or doctorate degree in nursing and are experts in a particular specialty population. While CNSs practice in 3 spheres, the foundation is direct patient care often focusing on complex and marginalized populations. Some components of CNS practice include direct care, consultation, systems leadership, collaboration, coaching, research, and ethical decision-making. CNSs are often known for being curious & creative problem solvers who are good at connecting the dots in complex issues and translating current research to practice.

What does neurodivergent mean?

Neurodivergent refers to a person whose brain works differently than is the ‘norm’ in a particular society. People often think of Autism & ADHD when they hear the term neurodivergent, but there are many more ways to be neurodivergent including both innate and acquired differences. Some other examples of neurodivergence are: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, downs syndrome, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, bipolar, hearing voices, and many more.

Scholar Nick Walker, PhD has written extensively around neurodivergence, neurodiversity, and the neurodiversity paradigm. If you’d like to read more, I recommend checking out her work here.

Another favorite resource on the topic is the book Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg.

Why don’t you accept insurance?

Not accepting insurance means I am able to provide you care based upon your needs, including longer appointments. Most people with chronic and complex conditions are poorly served by the traditional healthcare model’s short and ‘cookie cutter’ appointments. I wish to focus my time and energy on patient care vs the complicated and time consuming insurance system. This also offers patients a greater level of privacy.

Many patients have “out of network benefits” with their insurance. If this is the case, you can choose to submit a “super-bill” to your insurance company and request reimbursement. We cannot guarantee reimbursement and do not verify insurances.

You may also be able to use your health savings account (HSA) or flex spending account (FSA) to pay for visits. If you have a card for this you can try using to pay online, or submit for reimbursement with the “super-bill”.

As of 5/1/2024 I am unable to take new patients who have Oregon Medicaid. I am also unable to see patients with any type of Medicare plan. Due to current insurance rules, I’m not allowed to see you even if you pay for the visit yourself. I understand how challenging it can be to find providers, especially with these insurances, and I’m sorry that this is the current situation. I will update my website if this changes.

Do you offer reduced rate appointments?

Yes. We recognize finding in-network medical providers for complex health conditions is challenging, and not everyone can afford typical out-of-pocket rates. In hopes of increasing accessibility, we reserve some space for patients needing reduced rates. Please send Tasha a message using this form for additional information.

I suspect ______ condition, but don’t have a diagnosis, will you work with me?

Yes! The conditions and identities listed are just to give people a general sense of Tasha’s background, but are not all inclusive. If after reviewing the website you think we might be a good fit, but still have questions, please send a message or request a free 15 minute Q&A phone call using this secure form.

Are you going to tell me to lose weight?

No. I strive to practice from a weight-inclusive / weight-neutral perspective. I recognize the stigma and discrimination that people in larger bodies face and the significant harm this causes. If you want to talk about weight, I’m happy to chat with you about that, but I’m not going to bring up weight unless you bring it up first. As a white person living in a smaller body, I recognize the many ways I hold privilege and am continually learning and unlearning, immersing myself in the work of those different than myself.

Do you recommend a particular diet?

Nope. Everyone is different, so what we eat will be different. I want to help you find things to eat that make you feel your best.

I have some knowledge around eating disorders. I am familiar with sensory issues many neurodivergent individuals experience around food. I also have significant experience with both patients, and myself, in sorting out food sensitivities without going on strict elimination diets.

Other questions?

Please send a message!