I was scanning the healthcare news feeds and came across an article by the Associated Press, titled: "Doc deficit? Nurses' role may grow in 28 states".  The article was about the primary care doctor shortage and how 28 states are looking to expand the authority of nurse practitioners and nurse midwives to help alleviate this issue.  The Health Care Reform legislation means 32 million Americans will gain access to healthcare insurance and will be eligible for primary care.  There will be more funding placed into nurse-managed clinics to help manage the wave of Americans looking for primary care.  According to the article, the medical establishment is fighting to protect their role as primary care providers.  Research comparing primary care management for  overall health, diabetes, asthma and use of medical specialist services are essentially the same between physicians and nurse practitioners.   

I have been a nurse for over 26 years and a nurse practitioner for over 12 years.  During this time I have worked in a variety of clinical settings; acute care, critical care, and primary care, right beside physicians and physician assistants who have the majority of the time valued my collaboration and experience.  When I visit my primary care provider, I often see the NP not the physician.  The physician, who happens to be a friend of mine, values his NP and treats her as a collaborative partner in his practice.  I have enough experience to realize there are times when a patient needs to see a physician, and there are times when care by a physician assistant, nurse, or advanced practice nurse is exactly what a patient needs.

If we really want to improve healthcare, all healthcare providers need to work collaboratively to give patients the level of care they deserve.  So I ask you; will we ever see the day when healthcare providers play nice in the same sandbox?