James Walker

I am a Nurse Practitioner at Praxis Medical, working alongside your GP to help maintain and improve your health. Nurse Practitioners assess and diagnose, prescribe medications, order pathology and imaging, make referrals and provide ongoing follow-up, which gives you another way to get care when you need it, whether that is something urgent, a result to chase up, or an ongoing condition to manage.

My path into nursing was not a straight one. I left school at 15, worked a range of jobs, and was working as a hospital cleaner and then a personal care assistant when I was offered the chance to study nursing. More than 20 years later I am still here, and still learning.

Much of my career has been in emergency and acute care, including remote and offshore work where resources were limited. That background taught me to assess carefully, recognise the red flags, and know when to bring your GP or another health professional in. These days my interest is increasingly in prevention, healthy ageing, chronic disease management and complex wound care. I am particularly drawn to catching things early, through cancer screening, smoking cessation, and managing risk factors before they become bigger problems.

I will explain things in plain language, and I am happy for you to tell me what you have already researched and what is worrying you. You should leave knowing what I think is going on and what happens next.

Manjimup has been home for around 14 years, and my son is growing up and going to school here. It is a great place to raise a family, and you cannot walk down the street without saying hello to ten people you know. Outside work I am usually with my son, camping, four-wheel driving, or learning something new. Right now that is a postgraduate course in something new to add to the toolkit.