Role Confusion

Ok, I would like to clear up some confusion about my career role.  My family keeps asking me when I will get my "PA".  I tell them, "It isn't a PA its an NP".  They say, "Oh, then you get your PA"?  I will never be a PA.  Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners are actually similar in many ways but are distinctly different.  There is a lot of confusion in the community about what a Nurse Practitioner is and what Physician Assistant is.  I will not try to explain in great detail the role of the Physician Assistant because I'm not one nor will I ever be. 

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are referred to by many as "mid-level" providers.  Some Nurse Practitioners are comfortable with this terminology and others feel that it is an inaccurate description of the care they provide.  Studies have shown that Nurse Practitioners deliver the same or sometimes better outcomes than primary care physicians.  This particular link is to a study that shows no significant difference between patient satisfaction with Nurse Practitioners and Physicians in primary care. 

The role of Nurse Practitioners is always expanding.  Nurse Practitioners are Masters or Doctorate prepared and may work in primary care in a clinic, or in a speciality such as orthopedics.  Some oversee educational programs such as a hospitals diabetes education.  They can work in a hospital and make rounds on patients or work in home health.  In over half of the states Nurse Practitioners may work independently from physicians.  This means they can actually open clinics for themselves.  Unfortunately, Missouri is not one of those states.  Physician collaboration is required here.  However, with health care reform occurring, it will be necessary for states to remove barriers for Nurse Practitioners to be able to provide care for the growing number of health care recipients. Missouri and many other states restrict NPs from operating to the full capacity of their education and training.  Hopefully, Missouri will remove many of its barriers in the next few years before I graduate. 

I could write several pages to discuss the roles of Nurse Practitioners but I would just like you to know that Nurse Practitioners are well-trained and capable health care providers.  They are able to diagnose and treat most acute and chronic diseases.  Many times NPs have a better bedside manner due to their nursing background.  In the future many of us will be seeing the Nurse Practitioner instead of a physician and that should not be viewed as a bad thing!