A Nurse Practitioner's View

As nurse practitioner-staffed retail clinics continue to open and expand (despite what many recent reports say otherwise), they continue to fall victim to physician-centric comments undermining the competence and professionalism of other health care providers. Am I surprised? Not at all. It has all come to be so routine now. Take for example, a recent article written in the Topeka Capital Journal . The end of the article quotes a pediatrician's take (by the way, the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes the use of retail clinics - whatever that means) on why one shouldn't use retail clinics. The article goes on to say: As for people who don't have insurance, Cain said there is always a place for them. "We have plenty of places for people to get care," Cain said. When looking for a physician, Cain advised finding someone who has flexible hours and cares about patients. "I would find a doctor who can provide you with a good medical home," she said. "

An article about physician assistants and nurse practitioners appears in the NY Times Jobs section. The article does a very good job of explaining both professions though I would disagree with a few of the statements. Another important difference is that P.A.’s are generalists, while nurse practitioners train in a specialty like family medicine or women’s health. As a result, P.A.’s can switch fields more easily . - I would say that isn't necessarily true. Since the majority of NPs are trained in family health, I think it's just as easy for these FNPs to transition into different roles. To patients, the two roles can seem very similar. Salaries can be similar, too. The average total income for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice is about $86,000, according to the P.A. academy. The average total income for nurse practitioners is $92,000. - average salary of $92k? I think that sounds pretty high. Most of the NPs that I know are in the $70 - $90k range and I