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

patients who received primary care from nurse practitioners, compared with patients treated by physicians”. (Golden, 2013) Golden brings light to the positive contributions of NPs. In opposition, Dr. Reid Blackwelder, president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians feels “The medical expertise of primary-care physicians must be a part of the team-based care patients need and deserve. To require patients to accept less is unacceptable.” (Blackwelder, 2013) It seems as though the though of patients accepting NPs are primary providers, is to accept “less” than or subpar care.
Entertainment media displays similar views on nursing professionals.

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,

2009)
The overall overt message in these news and entertainment examples is that Nurse Practitioners do not deserve to be given the same abilities as Physicians based on their education and that they are actually below that of a physician. The real message to readers and viewers is that the nursing field is inferior to the field of medicine. Those who are in favor of Physicians seem to be the ones sending this message. Is it accurate, no. Nursing has shown for years they are essential to the advancement of health care and can provide the same or better quality of care as physician. According to Hain and Fleck, only approximately one-third of nation has allows NPs to have full practice authority licensure meaning they independently practice. (Hain,ARNP, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, 2014) News and media image of Nurses has a influence over the people who oversee the policies that govern these states laws so it’s important that Nurses continue to shine light on the importance of their roles by going out and making their voices heard through advocacy via social media and other news outlets by submitting to newspapers and being apart of the writing teams for hospital based TV shows. We are not “invisible” per say because our presence is undeniable but we maybe our voices needed to be heard a little more in the media.