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I'd rather see the nurse practitioner and be referred the doctor for further diagnostics or treatment, but clearly I'm in the minority.
Actually, I don't think you are. A PA is always my first choice.
Some people still think that nurses are glorified housekeepers - the same folks that wonder why a hospital stay is so much more expensive than a hotel stay.
And those same folks, when they are hospitalized, depend on the nursing staff to notice what is going on, to know when to call the doctor, and to provide emergency resuscitation and other treatment while the doctor is getting away from his/her golf game. Yet they object to a similarly competent person treating their bronchitis in a doctor's office.
Medical schools are not keeping up with demand, so nursing staff is having to step up. These days, most RNs have 4-year degrees, and it is a very demanding four years. And a PA will have education on top of that.
Some call it a "team based effort"....the rise in PAs under Obamacare, while others see it for what it is.
What it is, is that you get a PA to dx you more often than NOT since the inception of Obamacare.
While your insurance premium/co-pay doesn't change if you see a PA or the actual MD.
Would you be ok with your lawyer's paralegal defending you in court while paying the same fee for the lawyer you hired to defend you?
Why would you want to see a PA & when you are paying more in insurance premiums/co-pays/deductibles since Obamacare set in?
Unless, and of course, you didn't see that side of Obamacare. It worked out better for you? Not for me or most other small business owners.
You should be demanding to see the Doctor. You know, the one who went to medical school and specialized in the field you made an appointment to see him/her for....not the one who got a two year degree to "help" the Dr. out.
You need to talk to a nurse. Seriously. You have no clue.
Maybe I'm the only one who knows about this since I have a close relative who works as a surgeon. Apparently one of the less talked about components of Obamacare was that it gave more power to Physician Assistants. Now they can perform surgeries, prescribe meds, etc. The problem is that many everyday Americans don't know the difference in knowledge/training that a PA has versus an MD. I know someone who recently went to a PA for a simple stitching of his right hand and she screwed up his tendons and he no longer has control of his right hand. I heard about someone else who went to a PA to diagnose his abdominal pain and she said it was nothing and later his appendix ruptured. Lastly, I know someone who recently because an infectious wound specialist and he said that he gets a lot of business from patients whose PA did a lousy job of closing their wound.
I promise I'm not a paid troll from the AMA trying to discredit PAs.
???? In my state, a clinic will ask you whether you want your primary provider to be an MD or PA. I always choose the PA.
In a previous life, I was a nurse, working coronary care and intensive care. PAs are very well educated and and competent.
Want to only be seen by a physician? Then only make appointments with physicians. Simple enough.
I'll take a P.A. any day. The ones we've seen are double sharp, well-educated, and take the time to consult with their supervising physician if there are any questions.
There is no P.A. malpractice crisis and what this has to do with Obamacare is anybody's guess.
Actually, I don't think you are. A PA is always my first choice.
Some people still think that nurses are glorified housekeepers - the same folks that wonder why a hospital stay is so much more expensive than a hotel stay.
And those same folks, when they are hospitalized, depend on the nursing staff to notice what is going on, to know when to call the doctor, and to provide emergency resuscitation and other treatment while the doctor is getting away from his/her golf game. Yet they object to a similarly competent person treating their bronchitis in a doctor's office.
Medical schools are not keeping up with demand, so nursing staff is having to step up. These days, most RNs have 4-year degrees, and it is a very demanding four years. And a PA will have education on top of that.
The 1970's called. They want their cliche back.
I basically live in the hospital and just come home to sleep so I am around doctors all the time. Most doctors I know, and I know a lot of them, are working 60, 70, 80+ hours a week. Nurses are not doing these things so that doctor can play golf. They are doing these things so that doctors can take care of other patients. If a doctor was to sit on the ward all of the time, doing a nurses job, there would literally be no doctors available for millions of patients that need them. That is why we have nurses in the first place.
Also, you are creating a false equivalence among nurses. A critical care nurse is much more experienced and qualified than a nurse who has worked in a doctors office since the day she/he graduated nursing school.
PA...Physician Assistant/Associate...a medical professional with advanced education and training, who is licensed to work under physician supervision. Takes medical histories, performs exams, diagnoses and treats illnesses, writes prescriptions, makes rounds, and assists in surgery.
NP...Nurse Practititioner...a registered nurse with advanced education and training, who is licensed to provide a wide range of healthcare services, including the diagnosis and management of common as well as complex medical conditions. NPs may practice independently or in collaboration with physician, depending on state requirements.
I see a Nurse Practitioner for my general health care needs and have been very satisfied.
Ahh the mind of a Trump supporter and random ACA hater. Guess you thought that made up reason was a big GOTCHA! until you found out that it wasn't.
Most places have NP and PA doing rounds and seeing low risk patients. Many are in doc in the box type places or in low risk scenarios. All states require they work under a physician. This is a state issue, something those on the right ususally champion IF it suits the current narrative. It is also a hospital issue since regardless of what the state says people can do, hospitals limit it.
Exactly. Obamacare didn't give more power to PAs than they already had. And patients have the option of whether or not to go to PAs. I dislike being pawned off on a PA. My high copays are the same whether I go to a PA or not. I fired my orthopedic surgeon for exactly that reason. He always wanted to pawn me off to his PA because he wasn't in the office enough. If there is no advantage in the patient going to a PA, what is the point? In my case, my medical conditions are complex and I want an MD to keep a close watch on everything.
I basically live in the hospital and just come home to sleep so I am around doctors all the time. Most doctors I know, and I know a lot of them, are working 60, 70, 80+ hours a week. Nurses are not doing these things so that doctor can play golf. They are doing these things so that doctors can take care of other patients. If a doctor was to sit on the ward all of the time, doing a nurses job, there would literally be no doctors available for millions of patients that need them. That is why we have nurses in the first place.
Also, you are creating a false equivalence among nurses. A critical care nurse is much more experienced and qualified than a nurse who has worked in a doctors office since the day she/he graduated nursing school.
A long time friend is a physician. Several younger relatives are P.A.s They all work 10-12 hour days, plus keep up on developments in their field on weekends and evenings.
They are all so exhausted most of the time that when they take a week off, they sleep around the clock the first few days.
I can't imagine how physicians could keep up the pace with P.A.s and N.P.s.
Friend who lives in the Bay area pays $5K a year just to be part of a physician's practice. Her insurance and co-pays still cover visits. The $5K/year is just to be one of the limited number of patients he accepts.
She is guaranteed a return call from the physician or his P.A. within two hours, and an appt. with him that day or the next business day. P.A. does initial workups, takes call on weekends, and helps out, but the $5K/year guarantees that when she makes an appt. she can see him if she specifies. He follows her medical care and knows who she is when she walks in the door.
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