Hospital NPs & Lounge Access

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Recently the Hospital Board decided to deny NPs and PAs access to the Providers Lounge. Their rationale was condescending to say the least. So MDs have their own space, as do the Residents and Med Students.

NPs and PAs, who are ALL revenue earners, do not.

I was curious what other hospitals are doing.

That's why they call it the "Doctor's Lounge". I have never heard it called the " Provider's Lounge" but good try. NP's and PA's aren't the only ones who generate revenue (actually, we all do). So do Speech Pathologists, Phyical therapists, Occupational therapists, etc. Get over it.

We're talking about NPs specifically because they provide the same service for patients as MDs and work in a practice with MDs diagnosing and prescribing meds for patients. The other degrees you listed in healthcare are completely unrelated to NPs/MDs/PAs. It's apples and oranges.

I would leave a facility that has made a stance that PA's and NP's are second class citizens who can't go into the "doctors" lounge. You're saying unlicenced gum on the bottom of your shoe med students are allowed in there when practicing healthcare professionals, like NPs, aren't? It has nothing to do with the free food but simply the obvious stance the facility is taking that you won't be treated fairly or with respect.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
That's why they call it the "Doctor's Lounge". I have never heard it called the " Provider's Lounge" but good try. NP's and PA's aren't the only ones who generate revenue (actually, we all do). So do Speech Pathologists, Phyical therapists, Occupational therapists, etc. Get over it.

We all? No.

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That's why they call it the "Doctor's Lounge". I have never heard it called the " Provider's Lounge" but good try. NP's and PA's aren't the only ones who generate revenue (actually, we all do). So do Speech Pathologists, Phyical therapists, Occupational therapists, etc. Get over it.

However, none of those can use their skills until we write the order.....

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

Forgive my ignorance (put it down to me being a foreigner) but what is this mythical doctor's lounge and what goes on there? I've heard of them in whispers and only after the sun is down. I've never seen one, and maybe one day when a double rainbow appears I might see the shimmer of one on the horizon.

I'm only half joking. Seriously, what is a doctor's lounge?

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Specializes in Internal Medicine.

This is a fascinating thread.

The hospital I'm at gives NP's and PA's full lounge access and their attitude towards us is fantastic. We also get anything in the regular cafeteria free of charge as well. TBH, when I first started working in the hospital again, the physician lounge (which is what it's called in our hospital) was the most ridiculous perk of the job to me. I find it funny that some of the wealthiest people in the hospital basically get whatever they want for free. They're currently refurbishing all 3 of our lounges to be even more obnoxious. Don't get me wrong, I love the perk (it saves me a small fortune), and I understand why facilities do it, but I think it's also silly.

The attitude the OP's facility has taken towards it's NP's and PA's is incredibly disrespectful and shows a much larger cultural problem at your facility when it comes to physician/advanced practice relations. The reason why most facilities grant APRN and PA access to these lounges is because we make them a lot of money and bill/code in the exact same way a physician would.

@GigiF, none of those other disciplines you mentioned are allowed to generate their revenue without OUR order, and most inpatient facilities don't contract to independent therapy providers. Your comparison is ignorant and honestly stupid.

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.

It's all about respect (or the lack thereof). NPs and PAs are providers in our own rights. We should get to use the lounge.

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I think I was a bit juiced when I finally started working in the hospital as an NP and told I could visit the doctor's lounge. However, I work at a Catholic owned hospital so the freebies are kinda low rent. Soda's and some horrible snack foods, seriously unhealthy crap - not even bottled water.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Our hospital system has providers lounges at the hospitals so MD/DO/PA/NPs all have access. That said some hospitals have better offerings than others. Mine has the equivalent of gas station sandwiches, cookies, sodas, bottled water, coffee. Another one I cover has buffet lunches. My hospital board does not have one NP nor PA member.

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I'm with you on not whining over insignificant issues however that this is such blatant indication of their lack of respect and one that has nothing to do with our abilities or scope of practice I'd be inclined to strike quickly and swiftly because it is the start of a slippery slope. If they take this lying down imo it sets precedence and opens the door for further steamrolling and disparity. This is going to ultimately be an indication of what power if any the mid levels have at this institution.

Although it sounds extreme as another poster mentioned if the midlevel group's demand to have lounge access was not met I would look for another job. There is no way I would accept this or be in support of spending one second attempting to find out what other facilities are doing to justify midlevels right to use the lounge. JMO

The disparity is already there... It's a weird thing. I know one place who does not let 'NP' and PA use the physicians' lounge, but let CRNAs do it. The same thing goes for parking space..

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Specializes in Internal Medicine.
Oh, I still feel weird getting into the gated lot too. But it sure is nice.

I am damn lucky.

This for some reason was the least weird thing to me. My hospital has a segregated "Physician Parking Garage", but all middle and upper hospital administration use it as well. It seemed far more natural to me to have this perk than it does having anything I want in the cafeteria for free, plus access to all the lounges.

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Specializes in ICU.

Mid west near St. Louis. Have access but at my other rural job while in orientation was told to stay out of lunch room until after 1 so as to not tick off the doctors.

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Why do hospital treat physicians as if they are kings/queens? Physicians' lounge, separate parking space! Are they more important than the other hospital staffs?

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