A couple weeks ago CNN asked readers who should fill the ''doctor'' shortage. Nine responses are now posted on CNNMoney.com -- two from NPs, three from physicians and one each from a med student, a PA, an EMT and a consumer. Everyone but the EMT address the question of the role of NPs and PAs in primary care. The consumer loves NPs and ...

Monday's Bismark (N.D.) Tribune ran a positive article introducing the role of nurse practitioners with a DNP to the public. ''Nurse Who Is Also a Doctor'' featured nurse practitioner Stacey Pfenning, who has a doctor of nursing practice degree. Although the article might lead to some confusion among careful readers about whether a DNP expands an ...

The New York Times reports that trendspotter Faith Popcorn also follows trends. She sees a nurse practitioner: '''I see a nurse practitioner,' rather than a doctor [said Popcorn], 'unless there’s really a problem. I also wait a little longer before I seek help, in case nature cures the ill.'''

My parents retired a few years ago and moved to a ''55 and older'' community on the east coast. They know all their neighbors, and everyone knows everyone else's health status, who sees which health care providers, and every provider's business practices. My dad's quick recovery from knee replacement surgery convinced a neighbor a block over to ...

A nice article about nurse practitioners showed up in the New York City edition of yesterday's New York Times. Although titled ''Yes, the P.A. Will See You Now,'' the article looks at both physician assistant and NP roles, and it does a good job covering education, salary and job experience. The reporter does once refer to NPs and PAs as ...

The article starts out promising good PR for nurse practitioners: ''Peggy O'Donnell, a Lynbrook nurse practitioner, knows a thing or two about picking a good primary care physician.'' This is O'Donnell's opportunity to explain that an NP often can be your primary care provider — and even better, that there are studies that show that NP care is ...

OK, it's free country, but ... The February 20 episode of Wife Swap (8pm EST on ABC) features Maryland nurse practitioner Jill Phillips, who swaps families for a couple of weeks with a former Hooters waitress. I saw a single episode of the cringe-inducing reality TV show when the series first aired. I found it abusive and exploitative. The ...

Follow nurse practitioner Lois Wessel's lead and make national policy briefings your second job. Wessel wrote a touching and informative article for Tuesday's Washington Post, explaining her position at a mobile health clinic in Silver Spring, Md., and the barriers to care the U.S. health system throws up before her mostly immigrant patients. ...

A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry opining that retail health clinics sell NPs short when they emphasize that NPs will treat only minor illnesses. A column by Mary O' Neil Mundinger in Forbes magazine may be the public relations remedy to that perception. Mundinger, who is dean of Columbia University's nursing school and who pioneered the ...

  Next week is Nurse Practitioner Week. Des Moines pediatric NP Jennifer Hill has the perfect celebratory activity: Give an interview about NPs to your local news outlet. Check out her interview with the Des Moines Register. Here's a portion: Q. What are misconceptions about nurse practitioners?A. The first misconception is that a nurse ...