66% of Doctors Recommend Careers As Nurse Practitioner Instead

Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Jan 14, 2015

Just got the same article via email from my Texas NP membership Mike. I actually sent it to a friend applying for NP school because it has great talking points for a personal statement. Can't say I'm too surprised by the findings when only 15% of physicians being educated now end up going into primary care.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Jan 15, 2015

I know plenty of primary care physicians who love their role in primary care, however the endless new regulations, paperwork, EMR, insurance issues, etc are wearing them thin. Many have given up rounding on their own patients and now just have the hospitalists manage everything due to time contraints. I would def. chose NP vs the MD route nowadays.

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 15, 2015

My late father was a physician (Family Practice) and his physician friends (all specialties) were my parents' social circle. I got lots of input from them about my career choice back in the 1970's. It was almost 100% that they recommended that I become some sort of "specialized nurse" rather than pursue med school. They usually didn't know much about the various options available to nurses with advanced degrees -- but they all knew there were roles out there that offered good pay and less stress than their lives provided.

I didn't end up becoming an NP, but I became a CNS, then a Nursing Professional Development Specialist. While I occasionally whine about my job, I have no regrets that I didn't go to med school.

llg, Phd, RN-BC

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jan 16, 2015

My Dr used to get out of work around 6PM. Now it is after 9PM and then still has to round on the hospital patients and this because of the computer documentation that is required. It wasn't till midnight that he was done one night, hopefully this is not the norm! Now they have to put their own orders in for their hospital patients as well. It is wasting Dr's time and energy training them to be HUC's. This is just crazy! The hospital owns the practice now and I can see how weary he is over the changes. When Dr's asked for H & P and Consult papers to be left in the patient chart, they were told the committee has decided that you look this up in the computer. Basically we tell you what to do and we don't care what you want or what would make your job easier. Sound familiar?

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Jan 16, 2015

My Dr used to get out of work around 6PM. Now it is after 9PM and then still has to round on the hospital patients and this because of the computer documentation that is required. It wasn't till midnight that he was done one night, hopefully this is not the norm! Now they have to put their own orders in for their hospital patients as well. It is wasting Dr's time and energy training them to be HUC's. This is just crazy! The hospital owns the practice now and I can see how weary he is over the changes. When Dr's asked for H & P and Consult papers to be left in the patient chart, they were told the committee has decided that you look this up in the computer. Basically we tell you what to do and we don't care what you want or what would make your job easier. Sound familiar?

We had a merger with a large hospital organization that fell through (thank god). So many of our MD's were upset over the fact that they were going to lose all of their rights as an "owners" that many left. Once the merger fell through they refused to come back for fear that the organization would try to merger with another large hospital chain. They know they would be considered staff and would be treated just as poorly as the rest of us. Funny that they recognized how crappy of a life that is..

sauce · Jan 20, 2015

specialists still rake it in.

but its not all about the money, but if i would have gone the med school route i would not have done primary care.

allnurses Guide · Jan 21, 2015

I think most primary care physicians would admit that is they didn't have NPs and PAs to help increase their revenue they would be hard pressed to have any significant ROI. NPs will be the future of primary care.

Sent from my iPhone.