Say something nice about NPs

[iPod765]

Hey guys. I'm a pre-med who finally got into medical school this cycle, so I started digging through the other forums. I just wanted to familiarize myself more with the viewpoints of other healthcare professionals, which brought me here.

Anyway, I've noticed that there is a lot of negativity directed towards nurse practitioners. Those views have certainly taken over other threads on this forum. But who has some nice things to say about NPs? You know - anecdotes, people they've met, whatever.

I don't mean to sound like Mr. Rogers, but I'm just curious about how much positivity there is out there regarding them.

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[deleted6669]

I have had the privilege of working with several great np's. one runs a county infectious dz program and knows everything there is to know about HIV, hep c, + std's. great resource for new tx, etc
another started a mission in Haiti and brings 4 teams/yr back to a rural village which otherwise would receive no care.
another was an excellent icu nurse who became an incredible internal med np and later crna.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

I don't mean to sound like Mr. Rogers, but I'm just curious about how much positivity there is out there regarding them.

There is a really hot NP student in my pharm class!

Take folks for who they are. The NP education system is dramatically broken, but good people go through it. The PA and Physician education system is much better, but schmucks make it through there as well.

 

[iPod765]

There is a really hot NP student in my pharm class!

Take folks for who they are. The NP education system is dramatically broken, but good people go through it. The PA and Physician education system is much better, but schmucks make it through there as well.

Agreed.

 

[zenman]

Don't intend to blow my own horn but people seem to say nice things about me, ha, ha. The locums job I just left yesterday begged me to stay and I have an open invitation to come back. A nurse and three therapists wanted me to start a practice so they could come with me! As far as commenting on other NP's I've only worked with one and I didn't like her personality. Then there's my ex-wife but I won't go there! Oh wait, I did meet an ortho and a neuro NP who really impressed me, but I only spent a day or so with them.

 

[sarjasy]

In school I have had 4 NP's as instructors. 3 of them were/are exceptionally bright (and I'm hard to impress). One knows pharmacology incredibly well (tried to stump her repeatedly, as did some premeds in my class). Another I had for physical assessment and she was amazing (used Bates as a text and several times she pointed out problems with it and gave in depth explanations why, and she knew the book cover to cover). The third is a Ph.D. and a physiology/patho guru, and like others, I've challenged him regularly and he's rock solid. The fourth is a peds NP, and well, let's just say that I wouldn't take my child to her if she were the last person on earth - she's just scary (and fortunately, not currently practicing).

NP education is all what you make it. You can acutally learn a tremendous amount of pharm, patho, anatomy, physiology, diagnostics, treatments, assessment, etc. in UNDERGRAD if you apply yourself, as you not only take stand alone classes in most of these areas (in BSN programs), but it is integrated into most every class you take. Those that do this and then go on to grad school will be the good NP's. Throw in some RN time in the ER or ICU and you'll graduate an NP every bit as good if not better than a PA on average.

 

[TheEarDoc]

I actually get along better with the NP's in my hospital than the MD's. I've had better reception when picking up the phone to chat with Np's about patients they send for hearing evals. They always seem to know everything going on with their patients.

Hell one of them the other day actually called me and said "Doc, I think I have a kiddo with BPPV from a dodgeball head injury."

Sure enough she sent him over to the clinic, ran a Dix-Hallpike and bob's your uncle rotary nystagmus. Ran a quick Epley and out the little fella went with no more episodic vertigo.

I could go on and on about NP's.

Just like any medical field there are awesome ones and there are horrible ones.

I could name some awful audiologists that I wouldn't send my worst enemy to haha

 

[cadoobie]

Here's something nice about NPs: At least in my region of the world, NPs are more recognized than PAs. I have gotten the "Oh, so when you're finished are you going to be a NP or a Doctor later?" Sigh....What's in a name, right?