Do you (Active NP's) feel respected by MD's/DO's/PA'S

[KansasFNP]

Hi all. I am in my second semester of an FNP program. I have worked around many many NP's during my RN career and never noticed them being treated differently among providers. As I have looked into the "climate" regarding NP practice, I have noted this strongly negative view being spewed from physicians and their advocacy groups. These usually regard the lack of training and safety issues with NP's (always without evidence-based research to support the claims) as reasons to discredit practice.

My question for you working NP's: do you feel respected in your profession? Do you feel like you are allowed to work within the full scope of you knowledge? Thanks in advance!

[FluffyNipper]

I never had any problem with the psychiatrists with whom I practiced. In fact, they trusted my judgement with decisions that I was supposed to review with them, e.g. hospitalizations. ("Just write up the patient, put him in an ambulance and send him/her over -- we trust your judgement, " they said. -- These are real words that I heard repeatedly from ER psychiatrists in the system in which I practiced.) If I had problems of any kind they regrettably came from staff level RN's and from the nursing administration whose jealous collective thinking seemed to be in the 1950s and who thought that the only place for an RN was at the bedside!

[KansasFNP]

Fluffy, that is too bad. I have heard that some NP's have met resistance from the nursing staff. This is such an oddity. A profession that eats their young and frowns at clinical advancement. Fourtunately I have seen neither of these things in my nursing career. I am a firm advocate for the profession. I am not getting into advanced practice nursing because I want to escape nursing. I am very proud to be a nurse and cannot wait to apply my nursing filter to critical clinical reasoning to meet the health needs of patients. Thanks all so much for your thoughts!

[mmb317]

I find the phrase "lack of training" interesting. NPs cannot finish a program unless their training (I find education is a much better word) is complete. By nature of both the degree and the position, the statement "lack of training" is problematic. What I and every other NP has is a different education from physicians. It's an advanced nursing education, not a weaker version of physician's education. I believe that many of the physicians I work with respect me and my work; however, most physicians still do not understand the function or the role of the NP. A serious lack of education exists in medicine.

Great question. Thank you for taking the time to ask. You and every other NP student or BSN student who is considering becoming an NP should never defer from your goal because of the ignorance of others.

Continued success in your career.

Maria

[Tinabeanrn]

I have only practiced for a year but I was pleasantly surprised at how well the physicians treated me when I joined the group! They never once treated me with disrespect. I was the first NP any of them had worked with and they all loved me and wished they would have had me around sooner :). Now one doc didn't care for NPs and feels if we wanted to practice medicine then we should go to med school. She didn't say that to me, but the to the RN that worked there, and that was before I started. Another doc told me he wished he would have gone to NP school or CRNA school so he wouldn't have so much debt and could still be doing the same thing if he had picked NP. But they have all been kind and very helpful :).

All of my preceptors that I did clinicals with got treated with respect as well and all of my classmates are really enjoying their new roles and have had no issues. So the little things you do run into, just take with a grain of salt and remember that we are all here for the same goals. If you study hard, follow the guidelines and bring that nursing judgement and intuition with you, you will do just fine.

[KansasFNP]

Tinabeanrn thanks a million for your words. Very encouraging to hear!

[davesbride]

Great question. I am starting the FNP program at Georgetown in January and was really concerned about this as well. I have read a lot of negative viewpoints from MD's about NP's and was worried that I would not be respected. I had really started to rethink my decision. Thanks !

[gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN]

Not in ga. There is a new bill to restrict nps further. Ga wants to take the nps out from under the bon and place them under the board of medicine so they can be disciplined. I will post the biill later or you can google. They are really trying to restrict here and we are already the most restrictive in the usa.