My life mission is simple...help people."
"My motivation is simple...advocacy."
"My advice and opinions will take you to the inner circle of self-awareness, so you can be the boss of your mind and body."
Laura Giesman, APRN is the founder and owner of Eleventh Hour, LLC. She is a professional registered nurse and a registered board certified mental health psychiatric nurse practitioner with over 20 years of progressive and responsible experience.
An APRN, also known as A Nurse Practitioner, is a registered nurse with a masters degree and licensed to diagnose and manage illness and disease and prescribe medications.
After 20 years in emergency rooms and hospitals, Laura has seen and heard it all. And with her evidence-based practice, Laura can offer you advice, help, and a fresh look at yourself and your life decisions. Her expertise and social awareness brings mental health mainstream.
Here are my personal thoughts and beliefs:
My philosophy is simple. Manage symptoms with medications and therapy. I have been a Board Certified Nurse Practitoner for 14 years. And, I have been a Registered Nurse for 20 years. Throughout my years of practice, I spent most of my time working in the psychiatric emergency rooms and on the hospital floors. This has given me great insight into the many different styles and medications other practitioners choose to treat their clients.
I have learned over the years what medications are most likely to help specific symptoms in specific clients at specific times of their lives. I don't treat psychiatric diagnoses; I treat you and your symptoms. Whatever it is that affects you at the time you see me, that is what we will work on. I fully believe in the benefits of therapy. There are no "magic pills" and feeling better involves therapy in conjunction with medications. My therapy style involves some cognitive behavioral techniques along with the philosophy of Buddha. I have combined these two entities after many years of analyzing what works for most people. It is a wonderful process that allows me to collaborate with you; to support and guide you to make whatever changes you want in your life.
"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves." - Buddha
I fully believe in the benefits of primary care. I encourage all my clients to have full physical exams and medical work ups in addition to seeing me. I have found that I can better serve you if I can speak with your primary care practitioner. Sometimes symptoms that seem to be psychiatric in nature are really part of a medical issue. I order lab tests and I believe in using supplements on occasion. I will give you copies of all your lab results and we will review them together so that you fully undertsand what they mean.
As a Nurse Practitioner, part of my training involves client education. I spend a significant amount of time teaching you about the medications and why I may be picking a specific medication for you. I do not receive any monetary or gift benefits from any pharmacy companies. I tell you this so that you can be confident in knowing that the only reason I am picking a medication is for you and your well-being.
Education
Fairfield University
M.S.N. School of Nursing 2000
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program
Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Fairfield University
B.S.N. School of Nursing 1995
Registered Nurse
Harvard University
Certification, Radcliffe College, 1990
Book and Magazine Publishing
Boston University
B.S. College of Communication 1988
Mass Communications
Eleventh Hour, LLC abides by nursing ethics, ethical codes of the legal profession, and internet ehealth code of ethics.
To keep current and to provide the best answers for you, Laura works in a hospital 24 to 40 hours a week, evaluating medical patients and emergency room patients for psychiatric illnesses, delirium, dementia, substance abuse, detoxification, and capacity issues. She also prescribes medications, recommends treatments and admits patients to psychiatric units and participates in ongoing educational activities. In addition, Laura sees 80-100 private clients for therapy and medication management in her private practice.