Jayme Heim is a Board-certified Nurse Practitioner who specializes in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and eczema. Her most recent article, “Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Tildrakizumab in Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis: Week 28 Interim Analysis of a Phase 4 Study” appears in the August 2023 issue of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
How did you get interested in being a Nurse Practitioner?
Even before I graduated with my BSN, I knew I wanted to be a nurse practitioner. My first encounter with a nurse practitioner came during my clinical rotation as a student. I appreciated the additional freedom it gave the nurse to use their clinical judgment to diagnose and treat patients.
What drew you to the field of Dermatology?
Upon graduation, I investigated numerous opportunities before deciding on dermatology. In a sense, dermatology chose me. I had always worked in specialty areas and when given the opportunity to shadow at the Psoriasis and Eczema Treatment Center, I realized a strong desire within me to help patients with chronic skin disease through treatment, education, and moral support.
Are there any calls to action you’d like to make other dermatologists aware of?
In the last five years, we have continued to see the development of small and large molecules for the treatment of multiple dermatologic conditions. However, one area of concern is access to medication for the treatment of individuals over the age of sixty-five. Their chronic skin disease does not stop when they turn sixty-five, yet many times their access to medications does because people on Medicare no longer qualify for the special discount programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Once the benefit of the discount program is lost, the out-of-pocket cost often goes up dramatically. This needs to be a call to action for all of us in healthcare to advocate for a change in Medicare rules to allow for the pharmaceutical discounts to continue at the age of sixty-five and beyond.
