It's really bull****. The nurses I know that went the NP or CRNA route, when asked "if you want to practice independently, why don't you go to medical school?" would give me one of two answers. The first, was "I don't want all of the responsibility that physicians have. I want to work a 9-5 and go home," while the other group would generally answer, "I am too busy/too lazy/too impatient to go to medical school." So you basically end up with one group that wants a full scope of practice without a full scope of responsibility or education, while the other group wants a full scope of practice and full responsibility without a full education. I'm sure there are people that fall outside of these two particular groups, but the vast majority of nurses I know that are taking (part time!) APRN courses fall into one or the other. That physicians are losing their place at the top of the medical hierarchy to a group of underqualified caregivers that lack the dedication and sacrifice required to go through medical school and residency is depressing to say the least.
I don't want to go off on a sociopolitical tirade, but I really feel it is a side effect of the current anti-wealth, anti-intellectual, and anti-science movements that exist in different areas of the political spectrum. Physicians possess wealth, intellect, and a science-based career, so we take flak from every direction, while nurses, with their middle class pay, everyman level of education, and holistic and caring approach to health care tend to get nothing but praise from the masses. This is not to say that nurses do not possess valuable skills, nor that they are villains, but rather that they are playing on the emotional heartstrings of society to further an agenda that benefits them professionally but will ultimately result in a lower level of patient care being delivered in this country.