NP Spotlight: Chris Lambert, FNP-C, DNP
In this NP Psych Navigator Spotlight, we introduce Chris Lambert, FNP-C, DNP, a practitioner in his field who has excelled through the support and guidance of others and now leads a life of service to the surrounding community.
Chris became interested in public service at a young age. His mother provided him with a model example of a lifelong career in public service. The joy she experienced serving others and the positive relationships she cultivated through her work left a strong impression on him.
As he completed high school, Chris discovered his interest in health and was encouraged by his family to pursue higher education. Over time, he decided to merge his interests in health and service through a career in healthcare.
An Inspiration
Chris entered college as a first-generation college student. During his freshman year, he served as the director for a Boys & Girls Club. This experience was formative for him, as it was his first job in public service, and it allowed him to explore his interest in advocacy and community service while learning how to promote community wellness through program development and education.
Later that year, he had an opportunity to shadow a registered nurse. This experience proved invaluable, as it illustrated to Chris the role of the nurse as a patient advocate and cemented his desire to serve his community through a career in nursing.
Finding His Purpose
As Chris pursued his career, he ultimately found his way to becoming a nurse practitioner. Chris appreciated early on how a nurse practitioner begins their training by building upon their experience as a registered nurse, where they had the opportunity to develop skills in patient advocacy, bedside manner, and direct patient care.
Moreover, Chris was attracted to the structure of the nurse and nurse practitioner programs in that they allow trainees to work in the profession as they complete their academic degrees. He felt this model of training would be best for him, as it would give him the opportunity to constantly apply the knowledge base he was developing in the classroom.
Finally, it was the nurse practitioner’s focus on the health and well-being of the whole person that drew him to the profession, and ultimately to becoming a family nurse practitioner with a special interest in mental health.
Chris saw how impactful mental health disorders can be on every aspect of a patient’s life, and how challenging they can be to manage without proper care. Resolved to care for his patients in both mind and body, Chris made mental health care an integral part of his primary care practice.
Dispelling Stigma
Chris says a key aspect of his daily work in mental health care is dispelling stigma. Chris strives to disprove the stigma associated with mental health conditions and to educate patients and their families by providing them with the care and information needed to improve their lives.
Through patience and empathy, Chris helps his patients overcome the stigma of mental illness and regain the self-determination they so eagerly seek. He finds it to be incredibly rewarding when his patients achieve mental health and wellness, and successfully reengage in their work, relationships, and favorite pastimes.
Heart of a Servant
In March of 2022, in alignment with his mission to serve his community, Chris opened a private practice primary care clinic in his hometown of Monrovia, Indiana. As an NP practice owner and provider in his hometown, he feels a heightened sense of responsibility towards his patient population. He appreciates the opportunity to serve his friends and neighbors and strives to provide them with excellent care each and every visit.
Chris does this by keeping shared decision-making and patient-centered care at the heart of his practice. Since the clinic opened, Chris has been working to help meet the need for accessible, high-quality primary and mental health care in his hometown.
Onward and Upward
Chris aspires to introduce more mental health resources to his community through his practice. In the future, he hopes to bring on a mental health counselor to help improve access to this important element of mental health care for his patients. He also is looking to grow his practice by collaborating with other NPs in his area with skill sets in mental health and preventive care.
In addition, Chris aims to partner with local organizations in his community to create green spaces for well-being. He continues to look onward and upward to promote health and wellness, giving his patients the tools they need to make meaningful change in their lives.
