Nurse Practitioner Week: Right at home in Porters Lake

In smalltown Nova Scotia, the conversations happening at the local Tim Hortons can carry a lot of weight. Porters Lake is no exception, and for nurse practitioner Dustin Crowell, hearing positive reviews from the local coffee shop crowd was a reassuring sign he was finding his place in the community.

“I've had patients come in and say, ‘I heard down at Tim Hortons that you weren't too bad of a fellow. I wanted to come in and meet you,’” Dustin recalls. “It's always really nice to hear that, especially when I was so nervous about trying to fill Dr. Merritt's shoes.”
After graduating in August 2025, Dustin became the first primary health care provider at Porters Lake Family Practice where he was assigned many of Dr. Rob Merritt's former patients, helping them continue receiving care close to home after the physician’s retirement.

“I basically went from zero to 60 in about two seconds,” Dustin says. He was learning to manage a full patient roster while earning the trust of people who had known their previous physician for decades. He spent a lot of time explaining that NPs have advanced training to diagnose and treat health concerns, prescribe medications, order tests and manage ongoing care. As patients experienced that care first-hand, trust began to grow.

Merritt's former patient Ruth MacTavish has found the transition to Dustin's care as a nurse practitioner to be a positive one. “I said, ‘I’ll give the kid a shot’ - and I'm quite pleased that I did,” she says. “He does everything he can to make me feel comfortable and we always have a laugh.”

Judy Stewart, who initially worried about finding another family practice close to home when she heard of Merritt’s retirement, says Dustin has been able to provide the same level of care she previously received from her family physician. “He's really good to talk to,” she says. “You couldn't ask for anything better.”

Dustin's practice sits just down the road from where he grew up and where he now raises his daughter, Evelyn, the seventh generation of Crowells to grow up on the family's land.

But his path to becoming a nurse practitioner in his hometown wasn't straightforward. After an earlier career in business, Dustin became a registered nurse, spending five years working in emergency and intensive care. He wanted to further his education but, like many established nurses, had financial responsibilities that made returning to school difficult.

“A lot of us have families, mortgages and other expenses, and we can't always leave our jobs to go back and do our master's,” Dustin says.

Through Nova Scotia's Nurse Practitioner Education Incentive, Dustin received financial support to complete his master's degree. The opportunity came as Merritt was approaching retirement after a 35-year career and plans were underway for a new Nova Scotia Health primary health care clinic.

“Really, the stars aligned,” Dustin says of the timing. He got to work, reaching out to health care leaders and community to advocate for a nurse practitioner position at the new clinic.

Today, Dustin works alongside three physicians and a growing team, including Christine Comeau, who spent 27 years as Merritt’s administrative professional before joining Nova Scotia Health at the new clinic. Her knowledge of the patients and their families has been invaluable.

The team regularly shares advice and expertise, regardless of professional title. “We don't look at our titles. We don't look at anything else other than putting patients and their care first,” Dustin says.

Dustin’s work also extends beyond the family practice. He spends six hours each week at a local school clinic, where students can come to him for health concerns, treatment, questions or support. He also supervises an NP student, teaches clinical skills with Dalhousie's School of Medicine, and represents Central Zone on the executive of the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Nova Scotia.

As Nurse Practitioner Week is celebrated across Nova Scotia, Dustin has now spent over a year in his role, building relationships with colleagues and patients that he hopes will help more people understand how nurse practitioners support primary health care.

“We can't advocate for our profession by ourselves,” he said. “We need people who are influenced by nurse practitioners' care to advocate for us too.”

Photo of Nurse practitioner Dustin Crowell and his daughter, Evelyn, outside of Porters Lake Family Practice.