Nurse Practitioner vs Doctor
Determining whether you need a traditional doctor or a nurse practitioner can be a difficult choice, especially if you are not sure what the difference is. The following is a guide to understanding the differences between Doctor and Nurse Practitioner.
Is that a Nurse Practitioner?
According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), nurse practitioners, or NPs as they are sometimes called, trained, licensed and independent health doctors concentrate on managing patients' health conditions including treating wounds and diseases, and supporting prevention.
Licensed as a registered advanced practice nurse (APRN), nurse practitioners usually specialize, or even sub-specialists, in certain medical specialties.
The areas of general specialization include the practice of family, pediatrics and women's health, while sub-specialties may be in dermatology, cardiology, oncology or behavioral health and psychiatry.
NPs are generally required to have a master's degree in nursing for practice, while a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) has become the preferred title line for this profession.
Nurse Practitioner vs Doctor
MD is a medical doctor. Doctors can diagnose conditions, treat patients for all diseases, and write prescriptions.
While doctors can refer patients for special care, such as to neurologists, doctors have a thorough education that overlaps with all specializations.
Whereas NP is a nurse practitioner. This is sometimes confused with RN, which is a registered nurse.
While RN cannot prescribe medication, nurse practitioners are licensed to do so, and diagnose the condition. Some states and cities have different laws and regulations that require doctors to supervise NPs, but other areas allow NP to work unattended.
In 34 states throughout the country, nurse practitioners lobbied the government to lift restrictions that disrupted their ability to help patients. At present, only 16 countries allow NP to work without the burden of MD supervision.
NP is sometimes called the bridge that connects RN and MDs: they have more than two years of education than registered nurses, but they have less training than MDs. Also, it is important to remember that NPs are licensed by the Nurse Board, while doctors are licensed by the Medical Doctors Council.
Difference in Accessibility
The United States faces a shortage of doctors throughout the country, especially in primary care. Because of this, many hospitals, private clinics, and emergency care locations rely on nurse practitioners to meet their excessive needs.
Patients who demand to see a traditional doctor may experience a longer waiting period before the appointment, while patients receiving NP can receive more prudent treatment. Because of this, many urgent care centers and walking clinics and retail staff are nurse practitioners rather than doctors.
For services offered by most urgent care, NP is fully licensed and able to treat all diseases and injuries. That said, if you have the desire to be seen by a doctor in emergency care, do research at your local clinic to make sure they are staff doctors.
How Health Services Change
While more and more nurse practitioners can meet the needs of more doctors in the US, many doctors struggle not to let NP care for patients without supervision.
According to Bloomberg Business Week the United States has a shortage of 13,000 doctors, which continues to grow to be greater than 130,000 in 12 years. Meanwhile, there are 155,000 NPs that are willing to meet those needs.
In the near future, that could mean more freedom for NP to practice unattended, especially in emergency care settings and with the launch of health service reforms which create a need for greater accessibility and accountability of the care team.
Understanding the differences between nurse practitioners and traditional doctors can be difficult, because in many cases job descriptions overlap. The main difference is that many countries require NP to have doctor supervision, and that doctors have far more extensive and comprehensive training.
