Amanda鈥檚 approach to care is pretty simple: Always provide as much information as possible. And never judge anyone.
Providing information is how Amanda helps her patients understand their diagnosis and their treatment options. But more importantly, it鈥檚 how she helps her patients take control of their health.
鈥淚 want my patients to know HIV is just a bump in the road. We can鈥檛 control everything that happens to us as people, but you can have control over your HIV. That can be pretty powerful,鈥� she says.
And Amanda never judges anyone because she knows how harmful HIV stigma can be.
鈥淎 lot of patients come to us and they鈥檙e automatically hesitant,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been stigmatized before and they鈥檙e worried they鈥檙e going to be judged again. But I鈥檓 not here to judge you. That鈥檚 not why I do this work. I just genuinely want to be able to help and to give you the information you need to help yourself.鈥�
Seeing the changes in her patients鈥攁nd helping them see the changes in themselves鈥攊s one of the best parts of Amanda鈥檚 work. Like when she鈥檚 able to give patients their labs and show them the results of their hard work.
鈥淚 can physically show them, 鈥楾hese were your numbers before, and these are your numbers now. You are doing an awesome job!鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淎nd you can see it on their faces. They鈥檙e just like, 鈥榃ow, this is amazing!鈥� And it really is.鈥�
Amanda is a Certified Nurse Practitioner who specializes in evaluation and treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted infections. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked for 17 years as a clinical nurse and coordinator in the outpatient SLUCare Infectious Diseases clinic. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Science of Nursing, both from Saint Louis University.聽