"28 states are considering expanding the authority of nurse practitioners"
"And if they hold a doctorate, they want to be called "Doctor."
"Medicare, which sets the pace for payments by private insurance, pays nurse practitioners 85 percent of what it pays doctors"
"The health care overhaul law gave nurse midwives, a type of advanced practice nurse, a Medicare raise to 100 percent of what obstetrician-gynecologists make — and that may be just the beginning."
"The American Nurses Association hopes the 100 percent Medicare parity for nurse midwives will be extended to other nurses with advanced degrees."
"I don't think patients are ever confused. People are not stupid," said Linda Roemer, a nurse practitioner in Sedona, Ariz., who uses "Dr. Roemer" as part of her e-mail address. "
And my response to all this: "Why even bother going to medical school anymore?"
You should really leave the nurses and nurse practitioners alone.
ReplyDeleteFirst, it smacks of sexism.
Second, it kind of comes off as sour grapes that they are carrying so much less debt than you.
Third, women, in particular, have been so marginalized by their own health care providers that these nurse practitioners and midwives provide a service that doctors have refused to fill.
I understand your irritation, but you should stop pounding it in.
I assure you this is not sexism and I also refuse to ignore what is turning into a very troubling scenario. Nurses play an important role in the delivery of healthcare when they work in a "nursing" capacity. However, when a certain segment of nurses continue to push their job boundaries outward into those of a physician, I see this as a serious problem. If you want to practice medicine, go to medical school and do a residency.
ReplyDeletemedicinesux, haven't you previously expressed the sentiment that you wished you went to nursing school instead (to become a CRNA)? If you had gone down that path, would you still feel the same way about this issue?
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to be antagonistic; I'm legitimately curious. I'm a nursing student who agrees with you on this issue; it makes nurses look like "doctor-wannabes" instead of people with a legitimate and important role in health care.
SKB, I do not ever recall stating that I wished I had gone to nursing school instead. If anything, I am eagerly trying to GET OUT of American medicine entirely.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with your argument about "Noctors." While they are important and essential workers in health care, there is a line to be drawn between the type of work doctors can do and the type of work nurses can do. Otherwise, you're right, why bother going to medical school anymore? Why even have doctors and nurses? Why don't we just equalize all the jobs and call each other "health care workers" instead? Like I read on MD Underground as well --> Does that mean flight attendants will be able to pilot planes too?
ReplyDeleteWell in my experience nurses often do more of the work and know as much as doctors on many occasions anyway - often more helpful. Nurses (male and female) generally need to be better paid and better recognized for the amount and quality of the work they give/do.
ReplyDeleteGiven the pic you included with this (and other posts on the subject), it's hard to take your assertation that "this is not sexism" seriously.
ReplyDeleteAnd really, "If you want to practice medicine, go to medical school and do a residency." Isn't this the system that you're preaching against?
Hickchick, get over yourself. Check out my twitter site and see what the noctors are up to on a near daily basis.
ReplyDeleteOh, and medicinesux is spot on. No issues with sexism there.
I think it would be a good idea if medicinesux explored some common ground with "noctors". It seems like they both have problems with the current system.
ReplyDeleteNurses ARE doctor wannabes. Sorry. Not all of course but the ones who think they know more than the doctor in charge. They want the power and not the responsibility. AND they give the female doctors hell when they can. AND there are male nurses. I know this is a very general and broad sweeping statement so please forgive me. But I don't think it's a case of sexism here.
ReplyDeleteThe above comments are both frightening and show just how little the public knows when it comes to medical education. A US trained doctor (MD and DO) goes through several more years of education and THOUSANDS more clinical hours then DNP nurses go through, in fact physician assistants (PA's) beat DNP's when it comes to clinical hours during their education. The subtle nuances and minutiae of proper medical care and diagnosis can only come through the thousands of hours of clinical exposure that medcial school and residency provide, there is no substitute. The fact that DNP's want to claim parity with physicians is laughable and only harms the patient. I am not saying nurses deliver bad care, they are VITAL to the medical team, that is when they act within their SCOPE.
ReplyDelete