Eliminating Physicians/Medical Schools

[AAC.271]

Serious Question. Should US Medical schools and physicians be phased out in favor of an NP driven and lead healthcare system? Some of my NP Peers assert that a 2 year Master degree NP program provides the equivalent education and yield superior outcomes than a 7 year medical school+ residency education trained Family Medicine Doctor. This saves students so much money and can easily fill the market with tons of trained healthcare providers. Plus, there are many online NP programs which opens the doors for many aspiring healthcare providers to study at their own pace and at home, without the burden and expense of having to attend a brick and mortar school.

NP's can easily transition into all the major sub specialities like dermatology, GI, psychiatry, surgery, Peds etc.. without all the red tape and regulations physicians need to go through.

With so many states gaining full NP autonomy and equal pay, with the argument that the nursing model is equal, if not better, than the physician model, do you think it is time for physicians to get the boot since they are too overtrained and a waste of limited resources when a cheaper NP can replace them?

[dec2007]

If this is the topic sentence for your research paper I would find something else to write about. This will not work for a persuasive writing assignment. It wouldn't even be a really great topic for high school debate team, so I would look elsewhere.

[Aromatic]

Hope this is a joke lol. If not please give names of your peers so we can place them on a do not hire list or better yet at a butcherhouse

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[Aromatic]

Because they'd likely lead patients who need referral based care to the slaughter with that type of arrogance and not know what to refer out

[OCRN3]

No,NPs can not replace MDs, they are too valuable! And who would us NPs consult with?[emoji85]

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

Good lord. As a CNM, I can attest that my training and expertise, however extensive, is just a small fraction of the training and expertise of the amazing physicians I work with. I am a damn good midwife, but I would be a horrible replacement for a physician. The level of knowledge you need to be a good physician can only be obtained through demanding, extensive training. There is no shortcut here.

I guess you could "do away" with MDs/DOs by expanding the training of NPs to equal that of physicians, which would of course make us. . physicians. And if APRNs replace doctors, who will replace US? The system works (in theory) because APRNs/PAs are highly qualified to take on a good chunk of the health care needs of the population, leaving physicians to work to the full extent of their training and expertise, with a net effect if increasing access to affordable and high quality care for the population as a whole.

ETA- I just cannot fathom the thought process in the OP. I have been in reproductive health my entire adult life, first as a CPM (certified profession midwife) then an RN and now a CNM. I am very experienced and, if I do say so myself, I know a LOT about reproductive health. But the longer I work in the field, and the wider my knowledge base grows, the more acutely aware I am of the vast amount that I do NOT know. I don't mean to say that physicians know everything straight out of residency; they have a learning curve that is as steep and endless as ours is. But to think that the training of a CNM/NP/CRNA/PA etc is comparable to physician training... to me that indicates either extreme naivety in the field or a shocking lack of critical thinking skills.

[canigraduate]

I don't think the OP understands the disparity between physician level education and NP level education, or the differences in the treatment models. Or the difference in scopes of practice.

Doing away with medicine to promote nursing is like cutting off your left leg to show off your right leg. We'd be crippling the system for no good reason.

Besides the very valid educational arguments, medicine and nursing have wholly different theoretical foci. Medicine is about disease prevention and treatment, nursing is about the patient.

Also, you'd have to rework the system from the ground up, even develop a different nomenclature. You'd have to develop nursing care models for things that are currently exclusive to the medical domain. You'd have to expand education and standardize residencies. You'd have to change laws and develop new licensing strategies. Why go to all that unnecessary trouble when physicians are already there with systems in place?

The problem isn't that NPs should take over. They have a valid supporting role. The problem is that there aren't enough physicians. That's what should be addressed!

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

NPs can not replace doctor gyns, especially for those of us with a history of cancer and surgical procedures.

I agree. I never said they could replace MD gyns. I said I prefer NP for my gyn, which is totally different.

[itunsco]

I am thinking this person is talking about general medical practitioner. but still they learn more than us. just leave nursing the way it is

[Purple_roses]

No way.

[Purple_roses]

I'm actually very sick and tired of seeing these types of questions. Nursing can't be respected by be medical world if nurses try to one-up them, claim nurses are smarter, claim nurses work harder. It's just ridiculous.

We need physicians/MDs/DOs. They are smart. They should not be replaced.

We need nurses. They are smart. They are different. They should not be replaced.

[Purple_roses]

Perhaps I am too progressive thinking, but look at where we are now! 10 years ago who would have even contemplated the np profession equalizing with primary care doctors. Now there is a general consensus that primary care docs can be replaced by NPs.

Look ok what i am saying is that in every profession, there are steps that people take to rise higher in the chain. The nursing model provides those gradual steps for a person to move up to greater responsibilities and scope of practice. The medical model churns out doctors without any prior healthcare experience. Is an np driven healthcare model so radically different? Not necessarily. I would argue it is even more meritocratic because providers must slowly gain that experience to move up the chain.

Actually, they do get healthcare experience in school. Some pre-med programs even offer healthcare experience.