Physician Extender ???

Specialties NP

Published

I just saw this term on a job posting, and it's new to me. It sounds very demeaning, and a lot worse than midlevel. Is this a local term used more in one geographical area than another? Any thoughts from the NP's?

I could care less what i'm called. On a daily basis, I get called Doctor, Nurse, Extender, Physician Assistant, Resident, Medical Student, Provider, and even sometimes a**hole when I don't fill a narcotic Rx.

What motivates me is providing high-quality care and making a connection with patients in order to make a difference in their healthcare needs. Not a day goes by that someone doesn't ask me if I can be their PCP (instead of the doctor they've seen for many years) OR patients tell me they "opened up" to me and confided in me things they've never discussed with their PCP. Every day I routinely see patients who give me the ole "stink eye" when i walk in the door but leave with their respect and confidence in my capability to manage their health. These are the things that let me know that I am making a difference and earning the respect of patients, staff, and peers. Not whether or not someone calls me a Nurse Practitioner or not.

So, as Ray Jay Johnson Jr used to say... You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Johnson...

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Specializes in Adult Nurse Practitioner.
medic97RN09, I have to say...you really got me chuckling with your expressive, yet absolutely accurate, name for NOT filling the narcotic. I see it just about everyday :saint:. Patient's do not so much realize the terms and depending on your rapport, don't see a difference, but when a colleague uses the term, it can often be grating and demeaning. It amazes me that we even have to educate our fellow nurses on what a NP is!
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Specializes in Neuro ICU.

In the Detroit area we use the term mid level provider for both PAs and NPs. You will see this term often in job postings. I don't mind the term, yet many have voiced the fact that they don't like it because it implies we provide only "mid-level" care.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
In the Detroit area we use the term mid level provider for both PAs and NPs. You will see this term often in job postings. I don't mind the term, yet many have voiced the fact that they don't like it because it implies we provide only "mid-level" care.

That and what does it imply about RNs and LPNs?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

In the olden days, "physician extender" was the main terminology used by just about everyone. I remember hearing that term decades before heard the term "mid-level provider."

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Specializes in Neuro ICU.
That and what does it imply about RNs and LPNs?

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I am an RN going for my NP. It doesn't bother me as an RN nor will it bother me as an NP. I don't feel the term implies anything. I feel like a lot of HCP are just letting their ego get in the way, taking away from the main goal we are all working towards , helping patients.

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
I am an RN going for my NP. It doesn't bother me as an RN nor will it bother me as an NP. I don't feel the term implies anything. I feel like a lot of HCP are just letting their ego get in the way, taking away from the main goal we are all working towards , helping patients.

I agree 100%

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Specializes in psychiatric.

I find the term physician extender makes me feel uncomfortable. It implies (to me at least) that when I am an NP with my own license and practice I am still simply an "extension" or 'arm' of the/a Dr. and his practice. This term seems to state that the NP has zero autonomy and cannot stand on their own as a competent provider.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
I am an RN going for my NP. It doesn't bother me as an RN nor will it bother me as an NP. I don't feel the term implies anything. I feel like a lot of HCP are just letting their ego get in the way, taking away from the main goal we are all working towards , helping patients.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The truth is that yours might change when you gain a little perspective from starting/finishing your APN education, getting into the clinic as a provider, and getting out into practice.

It has (almost) nothing to do with ego. It has everything to do with the profession. APNs were educated under a different model. Most APNs have the same scope of practice and are held to the same quality and legal standards as their physician colleagues. Research has demonstrated over and over that outcomes are the same or better for NPs vs physicians. In 19 states NPs practice fully autonomously. There is nothing "mid-level" about NPs except the fact that many collaborating physicians use NPs to make a healthy profit.

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The truth is that yours might change when you gain a little perspective from starting/finishing your APN education, getting into the clinic as a provider, and getting out into practice.

It has (almost) nothing to do with ego. It has everything to do with the profession. APNs were educated under a different model. Most APNs have the same scope of practice and are held to the same quality and legal standards as their physician colleagues. Research has demonstrated over and over that outcomes are the same or better for NPs vs physicians. In 19 states NPs practice fully autonomously. There is nothing "mid-level" about NPs except the fact that many collaborating physicians use NPs to make a healthy profit.

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Boston I want to be an NP one day but are you implying that an NP education is indeed better than a 10plus year physician education? This is a legitimate question, I just want to put things in perspective

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
Boston I want to be an NP one day but are you implying that an NP education is indeed better than a 10plus year physician education? This is a legitimate question, I just want to put things in perspective

Depends on what you mean by "better"?

The research is there to support that patient outcomes and satisfaction scores are just about the same for both NPs and MD/DOs. NPs have been demonstrated to provide equivalent outcomes at reduced cost. As far as those important clinical markers, NPs appear to be sufficiently educated.

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
Depends on what you mean by "better"?

The research is there to support that patient outcomes and satisfaction scores are just about the same for both NPs and MD/DOs. NPs have been demonstrated to provide equivalent outcomes at reduced cost. As far as those important clinical markers, NPs appear to be sufficiently educated.

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I meant preparation, does NP compare to Med School? I will be an NP one day, just curious

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