Today we’d like to introduce you to Bernis Ngwane.
Hi Bernis , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey into healthcare began with a genuine desire to care for people and to be present during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. I started my career as a registered nurse, spending several years in hospital-based care before becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Over time, I saw firsthand some of the frustrations patients experience in the traditional healthcare system—difficulty getting appointments, rushed visits, and unanswered questions. As a provider, I also wanted more time to listen, educate, follow up, and build meaningful relationships with the people I cared for.
That desire eventually became OROCK Direct Primary Care.
I founded OROCK with a simple vision: to create the kind of primary care experience I would want for my own family—personal, accessible, relationship-centered, and rooted in prevention. I wanted patients to feel like they truly had someone in their corner, not just someone they saw for a few minutes once a year.
Building a practice from the ground up has stretched me in ways I never expected. I have had to grow not only as a clinician, but also as an entrepreneur, marketer, problem-solver, and community advocate. There have been challenges, uncertainty, and plenty of learning along the way, but each step has reinforced why I started.
Today, I continue to grow OROCK Direct Primary Care and expand the ways we serve individuals, families, and our community. What began as an idea has become a growing practice centered on something I still believe deeply: healthcare should feel personal, and every patient deserves to feel seen, heard, and supported.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a completely smooth road.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to build a healthcare practice while also being the person providing the care. Starting OROCK Direct Primary Care meant stepping outside of the traditional healthcare system and learning an entirely different side of medicine—business operations, marketing, finances, community outreach, systems, and everything in between.
There is also the challenge of introducing people to a different model of healthcare. Direct Primary Care is still unfamiliar to many families, so part of my work has been educating people about what it means and why having a strong relationship with a primary care provider can make such a difference.
Like many entrepreneurs, I have also had moments where I questioned whether I was making the right decisions. When you build something from the ground up, there are financial pressures, unexpected expenses, slow seasons, and plenty of trial and error. You quickly learn that having a good idea is only the beginning.
I have also had to learn that I cannot do everything at once. I am a wife, a mother, a healthcare provider, and a business owner, and balancing all of those roles while building something meaningful has required me to become much more intentional about my time and priorities.
But I think the struggles have shaped OROCK just as much as the successes have. They have taught me patience, resilience, humility, and the importance of staying connected to why I started. My goal was never simply to open a clinic. It was to create a place where people genuinely feel that someone is in their corner, and that continues to be what keeps me moving forward.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Family Nurse Practitioner and the founder of OROCK Direct Primary Care in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. My work focuses on primary and preventive care, chronic disease management, weight management, women’s and men’s health, physicals, and helping patients better understand and take ownership of their health.
What I am probably most known for is taking the time to listen and explain. I never want someone to leave an appointment with more questions than they came in with. I believe patients should understand their lab results, their medications, their options, and the reasoning behind the plan we create together.
That approach comes from my background in nursing. I started my career as a registered nurse before becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, and I have carried that nursing mindset with me throughout my career. For me, healthcare has always been about more than treating a diagnosis. It is about caring for the person, educating them, following up, and building trust over time.
OROCK Direct Primary Care allows me to practice medicine in a way that reflects those values. Through the Direct Primary Care model, I am able to spend more time with patients, offer greater access and continuity, focus on prevention, and build genuine relationships instead of making every encounter feel rushed or transactional.
What I am most proud of is not simply opening a practice. I am proud of creating something that reflects the kind of healthcare experience I believe people deserve. When a patient tells me they finally feel heard, that someone took the time to explain something they have wondered about for years, or that they feel comfortable reaching out because they know someone is in their corner, those moments mean the most to me.
What sets OROCK apart is that we are intentionally building healthcare around relationships. My goal is for patients to feel known, supported, and cared for as individuals—not like a number moving through a system. As OROCK continues to grow, I want to preserve that feeling because ultimately, that is why I started the practice in the first place.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I would say consistency has been one of the most important qualities in my success. Building a career and a practice has taught me that progress often comes from simply continuing to show up, learn, adapt, and keep going.
That consistency is grounded in compassion. I genuinely care about the people I serve, and I believe that combination of persistence and compassion has shaped both the provider and business owner I am today.
Pricing:
- Direct Primary Care memberships start at $79/month for adults ages 20–49
- Adults ages 50–64: $99/month
- Family membership options are available
- Membership includes ongoing primary care access, longer visits, preventive care, chronic disease management, and direct communication with your provider
- OROCK also offers select services for non-members, including physicals and other self-pay services
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.orockdirectprimarycare.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orockdpc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Orockdpc/61585594386065/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernis-n-6abb2b292/
- Other: https://www.orockdirectprimarycare.com/schedule-meet-greet
