Biography
Jennifer LaPorte, F.N.P.-C., M.S.N., is a family nurse practitioner with MidMichigan Physicians Group and is a member of the comprehensive heart and vascular team at MidMichigan Health. This team includes cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, vascular and cardiothoracic surgeons, structural heart and heart failure specialists, as well as cardiovascular trained nurses.
According to Jennifer, she has been a cardiac nurse for nearly 20 years, during which time she has worked in many patient care settings, including inpatient on PCU, and outpatient in both home care and the cardiology office. “Although I did explore other avenues as a nurse, something always brought me back to cardiology,” she said. “As a nurse practitioner, I have the ability to examine and assess patients, diagnose and treat acute issues and chronic conditions, prescribe medication and other treatments, initiate and manage overall care, provide counseling, and educate patients on disease prevention and healthy lifestyle choices. I also collaborate with a patient’s primary cardiologist as needed in an effort to provide them with excellent care.”
Philosophy of Care
Jennifer believes in providing personalized care by acknowledging each person’s individuality, while providing unconditional, compassionate care. “I work hard to educate my patients and their families and strive to promote a health care environment that is therapeutic and respectful of all human beings,” she added. “I want to build a practice of relationship-centered care that places patients at the center of the health care team. My goal with relationship-centered care is high-quality outcomes that maximize patient and provider satisfaction.”
One of the most satisfying things to her about being a nurse practitioner is the ability to fully care for a patient and develop treatment plans in partnership with them. “One thing I love most about cardiology is seeing patients want to change behaviors and improve their health by working together at risk factor modification,” she said.
Special Interests and Procedures
Jennifer is trained in all aspects of care including diagnosis, treatment, prevention, education, and medication prescription management. “My experience as an inpatient nurse, a home care nurse, a telehealth coordinator, an undergraduate nursing clinical instructor, and a cardiology office RN give me a unique perspective in cardiology,” Jennifer said. “This background gives me a broad set of skills that I can bring to my NP practice.”
She holds a special interest in disease prevention and risk factor modification, as well as heart disease in women.
According to Jennifer, it’s an exciting time in cardiology and patients only stand to benefit. “From new medications that fight heart disease from new angles to less invasive procedures that challenge established open-heart surgery, this field is always evolving,” she said. “The great thing about all this is that the most up to date cardiology developments are being done right here at MidMichigan!”
In her free time she enjoys traveling, especially going on cruises and spending time with her family.
