Thomas P. Young, NPC

I offer 45 years of experience as a healthcare provider. I’ve benefited from working in a variety of settings including acute care hospitals, outpatient clinics, HMOs, academic centers, addiction & pain care, occupational health, emergency medicine, and even spent time working as a veterinary assistant during the COVID epidemic. I’ve had career long opportunities to work with LGBTQ community including working on Ward 5B (later 5A) at San Francisco General Hospital in the early 80s as a young, registered nurse. It was there that I saw the role of nurse practitioners evolving in the healthcare landscape. Working with those early NP role models inspired me to pursue graduate education as an advanced practice nurse. The research experience I acquired while working in HIV care led me to the pharmaceutical industry where I was able to complete doctoral studies. My dissertation work focused on the use of minor variant genetic detection technologies to monitor the evolution of acquired drug resistance variants and their impact on immune response using viral fitness assays in acute infected HIV-1 patients in San Francisco. I enjoyed a 10-year career with the pharmaceutical industry before returning to direct patient care. I came to an awareness that being at the bedside was my true passion. I see my role as partnering with my patients to support them in achieving their health goals. I strive to treat each patient as I would someone close to me - with honesty, open communication, and a commitment to empowering people to live their best life. My responsibility is to provide guidance and advice on wellness, prevention and medical issues, while always respecting patient’s choices regarding their care. My intention is to empower patients to be informed consumers of healthcare and therefore acquire, maintain and strengthen their agency in their own decision-making process.