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ADVANCE Blog for PAs

Dr. Nurse

Published April 2, 2008 12:44 PM by Stephen Cornell
The Wall Street Journal has a long and really positive article on doctorate of nursing practice degrees.
As the shortage of primary-care physicians mounts, the nursing profession is offering a possible solution: the "doctor nurse."

More than 200 nursing schools have established or plan to launch doctorate of nursing practice programs to equip graduates with skills the schools say are equivalent to primary-care physicians. The two-year programs, including a one-year residency, create a "hybrid practitioner" with more skills, knowledge and training than a nurse practitioner with a master's degree, says Mary Mundinger, dean of New York's Columbia University School of Nursing. She says DNPs are being trained to have more focus than doctors on coordinating care among many specialists and health-care settings.

Read the whole thing. It reads as an enthusiastic endorsement of doctorate-level advanced practice nurses. Even the physician quotes aren't too anti-DNP. The nursing profession has done a good job selling this and any opposition has been pretty tepid.

Link

3 comments

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May 18, 2008 1:49 PM

I wrote a nice response but must have copied a code number erroneously so my nice comment died. Second try--First-don't see this as a NP/PA turf war as it clearly is not. This will become a MD/DO/NP Turf war as this is already being discussed in Administraive board rooms with physicians and administrators.

Do expect some thoughtful comment by the AMA who will either back off and realize they cannot change the power of this river of thought or they will set up dams to slow it down and divert its streams.

The real question may also be " How would you , as a PA fee, if it were mandated that you recieve a doctorate?" This is going on in the minds of many senior NPs who don't have the time or finances to return to school. Will this education really make some of the more seasoned practitioners more proficient? I can only say that I believe that another didatic focused year coupled with a clinical residency program can only improve the craft of any clinician.

This is not an issue for us to become smug and flip the bird at. This is a serious issue that demands our concentrated thinking and hundreds of comments on this blog and in other forums such as at state and national meetings. The tone cannot be argumentive but thought  provoking and dedicated to finding real answers not just being defensive. Let's let the fertile soil of an open mind permit us to reap a harvest of thoughts that will direct a path for PA involvement and progressive action.

Bob Blumm

Robert Blumm April 4, 2008 5:00 AM

Nurses are going to push out the pa as it looks, unless our leaders in the profession decide to build up our profession instead of holding us back almost in fear of the nursing profession.  They need to fight for what we are and that is that we are the best choice to fill the void because as a profession we have done nothing but improve the quality of health care.

Charlie, PA April 3, 2008 10:36 PM
MO

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