Nurse Practitioner Vs Doctor Debate

The Nurse Practitioner vs. Doctor debate is one examples of how Nurses are viewed in the media. As the shortage of primary care doctors increases in some parts of the United States, the question of whether nurse practitioners should have the same duties as physicians presents.

According to Dr. Sandeep Jauhar, “Nurse Practitioner receive approximately 600 hours of clinical instruction during their entire formal education, which is less than physicians receive in just the first year of a three-year medical residency.” “So if we want more primary-care providers, let’s have them be doctors… There is an essential place for nurse practitioners in medicine, but it is as part of a physician-led team.” (Jauhar, 2014) Dr. Jauhar is a cardiologist, as a physician, there is can be some bias in regards to this debate, as physicians may feel like they have to defend their craft from being taking over. However, this doesn’t justify undermining the expertise of nurse practitioners based on different educational requirements.

Angela Golden, president of the American Association of NPs, states, “Research shows they (nurse practitioners) spend more time with patients than physicians do, providing health education, counseling and care coordination.” “Studies by independent researchers have repeatedly found equal or higher satisfaction rates among

Jacquelyn Bishop makes a good point that on most of these shows “ a team compose entirely of physicians would rove the hospital providing all significant care to desperately ill patients, as the few nurses and other professionals stand silently in the background or simply disappear”. She goes on to state, “The invisibility of nurses on hospital dramas sends the wrong message to viewers. The public may see nurses as unnecessary, uneducated and under the rule of physicians, when in reality nurses are autonomous and essential to the success of any hospital.” (Bishop,