After reading about an article in the Arizona Republic newspaper (click here to read it), I began to understand the trend of how nurse practitioners are in many instances, quite similar to a doctor.
It seems that more and more patients are going to see nurse practitioners (NPs) – even if they had booked an appointment to see a doctor. Why is this the case? Well, first of all, there aren’t enough medical personnel to begin with, whether they be nurses or physicians. This has made the outlook of nurse practitioner jobs very promising to many individuals who are looking for a career in the field of medicine.
Secondly, a visit to the doctor usually feels very rushed, while nurses tend to take more time to listen to your problems and diagnose you. This level of bedside manner and patience has made seeing a nurse practitioner more sought after than a physician.
Thirdly, a lot of the educational requirements, tasks, and responsibilities overlap between doctors and nurse practitioners. Since some of these jobs overlap and there are more nurses than doctors, seeing a nurse simply makes sense in many situations. Also, nurses generally know when they should be consulting a doctor and will do so if necessary.