One of the more common topics currently being discussed is the rapidly spreading use of Nurse Practitioners (“NP”) and Physician Assistants (“PA”) in place of fully trained physicians. Before we get into the “weeds,” however, let me preface this with a disclaimer that I am NOT against NPs or PAs. When properly utilized they are valuable members of the healthcare team. I AM against them having practices independent of physician oversight. That is a dangerous direction to take, and is only being pursued by healthcare providers (companies and large practices) because they cost less. When asked whether he was nervous before his first space flight, Alan Shepard once quipped, “how would you feel sitting on top of the lowest bid?” The same applies in healthcare, but more so. The Mercury capsules that began our space program and the rockets they rode on were designed, tested, retested redesigned and retested even more. The same cannot be said of NPs or PAs.
When you walk into a physician’s office or are in a hospital, you have a right to be seen by a physician (MD/DO); something that used to be automatic, but no longer is. In fact, nurses can get their Master’s degree in Nursing (“MSN”) and then take an online course dealing predominantly with administration and receive a Doctor of Nursing Practice (“DNP”) with no further training or patient care experience. Moreover, when the nice young man or woman walks into your room with a stethoscope around their neck and a white coat on and introduces themselves as “Doctor Jones,” you have no way of telling whether or not they are real medical practitioners who attended medical school and did a residency in their specialty or not unless you ask; so ASK! If you take nothing away from this today, it should be that one thing – you’re allowed to ASK so ASK!
MORE TO COME NEXT TIME
POWER OF ATTORNEY 