I read this article in today's Arizona Republic and I wanted to share it here because it was so interesting. It seems that in many cases, a nurse practitioner is replacing doctors for routine appointments. As the article explains, this is often due to a lack of primary care physicians in the offices. Here is the link:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/02/21/20090221nursepractitioners0220.html
I have often ended up being treated by a nurse practitioner as well, and I have to say, I have found them more often than not to be extremely knowledgeable, unrushed (a rarity these days in the doctor's office), and willing to both talk and listen to me.
So while I'm not happy that there is such a shortage of physicians, I personally think the quality of care I get from NPs is really good.
What has your experience been with nurse practitioners? Do you also end up being treated by one more often that your primary care physician? Have you been as happy with or even more happy with the care you received?
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i dunno, i've spent time with a lot of midlevels and they certainly have a role in medicine, but i dont think they will be replacing the physicians soon. some of them can manage the day to day needs of the patients well, however, this is only after the physician has seen the patients initially, made the diagnosis, and set a broad plan that the NP or PA can carry out. the level of experience and education are just not the same.
February 3, 2011 - 8:13amThis Comment
Yes, I agree with alysiak - it's all about individual awareness. Nurse practitioner jobs are hard to come by and it's up to the person who's filling that job to judge themselves.
May 21, 2010 - 8:33amThis Comment
There is greater acceptance of NPs as primary care providers however. As example, one medical communications service recently added NPs to its list of medical providers with whom patients can communicate directly online, similarly to doctors.
August 23, 2009 - 11:40amThis Comment
There's a definite shortage of medical personnel in most parts of North America. We need more physicians, and it's great that nurse practitioners are stepping up to the plate and filling some of the void. Many undergraduate students are looking at nurse practitioner jobs as a viable and rewarding occupation, and that's a win-win situation for patients too.
August 20, 2009 - 12:34pmThis Comment
There are positives and negatives to seeing a NP, first of all, NP are fully capable of treating a wide range of conditions. Secondly, most of the NP's that I work with, recognize the limits of their training and consult a physician when needed. This model works well in our institution and patients are happy with it. NP's will never replace the expertise of a doctor, nor do I think many even want to, even if they get doctoral degrees. Medical school is extremely tough, no other graduate school even compares. NP's are trained to react, not reason, and therefore complex medical problems are best left to physicians. So here is my opinion, NP's are a valuable resource to medicine, but within their limits. To the posters on this forum: DEMAND EXCELLENCE FROM YOUR PHYSICIAN!!! YOU DESERVE IT!!!
August 4, 2009 - 7:55pmThis Comment
This is in reply to the previous post, actually Nurse Practitioners soon will not be able to become Nurse Practitioners (if this has not happened already) unless they have a PhD. Up until now, a master's is required. So they will have to work hard for their title (and believe me, they work very hard for their Master's). Also, they work under physicians because although they can prescribe medications, a physician must "approve" their prescriptions and held responsible for it. I highly doubt that any NP is referring to herself as a doctor, their title reads ARNP, not MD.
June 11, 2009 - 5:43amAs far as my experience with them, my mother is diabetic and is being treated by an NP. She is very thorough at visits and is genuinely concerned about the effects of the medications that she prescribes. So, I would also have to say that I think they're great.
This Comment
When you go to see a doctor, you expect to be seen & treated by one. Doctors offices these days don't even bother to tell you that your appt was setup with a nurse! There does seem to be ambiguity. How am I to know if a doctor or a nurse is the best for a particular medical condition? Afterall, with med school being so much more expensive & intensive than nurse training, there has got to be difference between the two. How is a lay person to judge the difference in quality of treatment? And why should we pay for the same cost of medical insurance to receive service from a nurse? I am confused & feel we have lost control over the medical care we get!
June 10, 2009 - 9:44pmThis Comment
i suppose flight attendants should start acting like doctors because "they are nice and spend more time" with the passengers. the women here posting have no idea what they are talking about! the NP spent an hour with one of the poster so she writes the NP is better than the doctor! i suppose if her grandmother spent 2 hours with her, the grandmother would be more qualified than both! an NP spending an hour with a patient is a model of inefficiency. the NP was probably on salary and had no time pressure that many physicians have. in many practices, unless a physician sees at least 4 patients in an hour, the practice would have to shut down financially. this is so stupid, it's become insane!
June 10, 2009 - 7:26pmThis Comment
Don't be ridiculous. People here are not saying that simply because someone spends time with you, they can provide quality medical treatment. That's silly. We're saying that there are some N.P.'s who can provide a lot more time than a typical doctor who is hard-pressed to spend 7 minutes with each patient. And some N.P.'s are extremely qualified.
And, actually there are some doctors who are making big changes to the way they do business. Not sure if you read the NY Times at all, but there was a very interesting article on the cover of last Sunday's business section that was about this very issue, and how doctors are relying more on technology rather than an office staff in order to cut overhead in big ways and be able to spend quality time with their patients. These doctors are somewhat "mavericks" in the industry, and tired of running through dozens of patients each day without really knowing the nuts and bolts about them and why they ended up with their symptoms in the first place. It was an interesting article and I hope depicts the wave of the future. So, not necessarily do doctors have to shut down their practices if they don't see at least 4 patients in an hour. They just have to work smarter.
June 12, 2009 - 3:02pmThis Comment
Nurse practioners are not doctors, nor should they be referred to as "doctor". It should be illegal for nurse practitioners to refer to themselves as "doctor". There is no room for ambiguity here. When you make an appointment to see a doctor, you want someone who has finished medical school and completed a residency program and passed the necessary state and national licensing examinations. Make no mistake about it, you could be putting your life, or the life of your loved one in danger.
May 8, 2009 - 5:15pmThis Comment