From an outsider's perspective, healthcare can seem like a strange and alien world. It's easy to get lost in the medical maze unless you have an insider to lead you through the strange terminology, different types of medical providers, and your own rights as a patient. Gail Zacok, MSN, RN, FNP-C, is the experienced medical guide you need.
Zacok, a longtime family nurse practitioner and experienced patient, offers a practical guide to understanding and interacting with the medical world. She offers advice on everything from the challenges of finding a primary care provider to the importance of healthcare documents and living wills.
Discover the basics of health insurance plans and the billing process for those with and without insurance. Learn how an appointment with your family medical provider differs from meeting a specialist and how to decide if you need to visit a health clinic, urgent-care center, or emergency room.
From personal health records and hospital stays to knowing how to screen for common cancers, Zacok explores every aspect of the healthcare system a patient is likely to encounter. Take control of your own journey through the medical maze and become an active, informed, and involved patient.
About the Author: Gail Zacok, MSN, RN, FNP-C, has thirty-six years of nursing experience, including sixteen as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She cares for people of all ages, from newborn infants to the elderly. She is also a patient herself.
Currently providing patient care in a university setting, Zacok has been a Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing and worked in rural and urban clinics across the United States. She earned her nursing diploma from Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, South Bend, Indiana; received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri; and received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Zacok is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, nursing's honor society. She is certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
