Medical Board Nursing Board Whats up?

Specialties NP

Published

So physicians are under the state medcial boards and nurse practitioners are under the nursing board. I know they say that NP's don't practice medicine, but rather we practice "nursing" but frankly I think this doesn't make sense. First of all, If I meet a patient or discuss with people about my role, I'd like to tell them that I practice medicine.

So what is up with the two separate boards? Can somone explain to me why NP's, who are basically doing everything a physicain is doing, not trying to become part of the state medical board and fighting to get leaders as part of the medical boards instead of creating our own NP nursing board to practice "nursing" instead of medicine?

Or why don't they just make a new board called the board of healthcare providers or something. Is it mostly an Ego thing that there needs to be two separate boards when we are all practicing medicine as healthcare providers and should be governed under the same laws and such?

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Nurse practitioners were originally governed by both the state BON and medical board, and nursing fought tooth and nail for years to get NPs out from under the authority of the state medical boards in most states. Nurse practitioners are practicing nursing, and their practice should be governed and regulated by the state nursing boards, not by physicians. If/when you become a nurse practitioner, you will be practicing nursing, regardless of what you would prefer to call it (and regardless of what it looks like to the general public). If you'd like to be able to tell people you are practicing medicine, go to medical school and get licensed as a physician.

FWIW, all the states in which NPs have independent practice are states in which they are regulated exclusively by the BON. The (few) remaining states in which NPs are regulated by the medical board as well as the BON have limited practice for NPs (although to be fair, there are plenty of states in which NPs are regulated exclusively by the BON which also place restrictions on NP practice). The more say physicians have about NP practice, the less autonomy and more restricted practice NPs are going to have.

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Specializes in Hospital medicine; NP precepting; staff education.

Advanced practice nursing is not the same as practicing medicine. The education and the background are completely different. When physicians fear APRN (or ARNP if you will) encroaching upon "their" territory, they over-lobby against some of our attempts at gaining authority over our practice, for which we were trained.

Barriers to practicing to the extent of our training devalues our worth but this is a battle currently being fought.

I, for one, am merely hoping to perform as I've been trained to do and provide patient care as an APRN. In no way am I attempting to be a physician. No, thank you.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

NPs do not practice medicine. They do not attend medical school. They attend nursing school. The scope of practice is different. Furthermore, if you'd "Like to be able to tell people I practice medicine" then you need to go to medical school first. Because you practice nursing.

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Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.

There's nothing to gain either politically or economically by being managed by the medical board. In fact, there's only much to be lost.

Here's the rub as I see it. My state's nursing board is comprised of LPNs, RNs, and APRNs. Now, tell me why I am under the jurisdiction of LPNs and RNs. I guess it indeed rolls up hill here.

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If i've ever met somebody who won't be satisfied with their role as an NP it would probably be the OP. You really just need to go to med school. I mean.... all your posts seem to be an ill-attempt to induce personal parity in your mind in regards to nurse practitioners and physicians.

Actually, you probably shouldn't go to med school, you seem to be more focused on what you can call yourself/tell people what you do, and other related ego issues than providing patient care and improving the profession.

chill out and enjoy the ride.

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I am not unsatisfied. I am just confused about the politics of it all. I understand we learn less hard sciences, but I frankly don't see how I am not being trained to be anything different when I get an MD preceptor.

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I am not unsatisfied. I am just confused about the politics of it all. I understand we learn less hard sciences, but I frankly don't see how I am not being trained to be anything different when I get an MD preceptor.

I have provided clinical supervision in the past to MSW and LPC students, supervising them in the areas of overlap between our practices. Having me (a psych CNS) as a preceptor didn't suddenly make them nurses, or mean that they were practicing nursing.

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Specializes in Hospital medicine; NP precepting; staff education.
I have provided clinical supervision in the past to MSW and LPC students, supervising them in the areas of overlap between our practices. Having me (a psych CNS) as a preceptor didn't suddenly make them nurses, or mean that they were practicing nursing.

I find that interesting, elkpark, and you make a good point. My husband is an MSW and the challenges he had in gaining qualified sites and internships included having appropriate personnel to perform the task. Your Psych CNS certainly has overlaps with social work.

I'm curious how that relationship went. What did they bring to the supervisory/internship relationship? What did you know of that role and how did you address their needs?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I am not unsatisfied. I am just confused about the politics of it all. I understand we learn less hard sciences, but I frankly don't see how I am not being trained to be anything different when I get an MD preceptor.

Getting precepted by a good MD in my opinion is the best and how I learned most of what I know however our brief clinical experiences even with MDs are not able to bridge the gap between what physicians are taught and what nurses are taught. If you come into this bucking at MDs your life will be fraught with misery on many levels. My advice is to embrace their knowledge and do what you can to assimilate with them and operate as they do in your particular hospital setting.

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In Pennsylvania, nurse practitioners are under the nursing board, but certified nurse-midwives are under the medical board. I (a CNM) am able to directly admit patients to my hospital, but our pediatric nurse practitioners are not. Not sure if that's a hospital regulation or has to do with the governing boards.

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Specializes in GENERAL.

I think we practice MediNursey. If I may be so bold. It's better. I think that solves that polemic. Don't you?

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