"Why don't they just hire a bunch of NP/PA's? Honestly, what are the KP docs in FM doing that a midlevel can't at that point?"
uh, they do....kp has pcp's who are midlevels in fp, im, peds, and gyn.
it's not that the docs don't know more(they do) but the fact is that anything the avg md would do that the avg midlevel wouldn't is something that kp encourages pcp's to refer to specialists. for example, vasectomies. many fp docs can do them right out of residency but they are all done by urology at kp. ditto colposcopy. ditto treadmills. ditto endometrial biopsy.
ditto sigs and colonoscopies. they are all refered to gi(although at kp many of the scopes are done by pa's with extra training).
kp is not the place to work as an fp doc if you want a broad scope of practice. your scope will be EXACTLY the same as the midlevels you supervise. if you want to do all the fun procedures you learned in residency, do your own treadmills, do ob, etc, kp is not the place for you. it is a cush m-f 9-5 outpt only setting with no nights/ weekends/holidays/call/inpatients where you are using about 50% of your training. that is why a pa or np in the same setting has the same pt load and responsibilities.
I have worked for kp in the past as a pa for > 10 yrs. I would never work there as an md in primary care if I went back to school because I would want to do procedures, round on my own pts in the hospital, and have a scope of practice different than the pa or np in the next office.
That's fine for some.
