Tag: advanced practice

The Great Resignation Isn’t Sparing Healthcare

We have been hearing about the Great Resignation for about a year now. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, the Great Resignation is a phenomenon that has seen millions of people leave their jobs since the start of the COVID pandemic. Some are leaving to find employment elsewhere within the same industry. Others are retiring early. Still others are looking for a complete change, looking for work in an entirely different field or starting a new business.

Unfortunately for healthcare, the Great Resignation isn’t sparing it. Just look at nurse practitioner jobs. They are as plentiful now as they have ever been. The same goes for nursing jobs, physician jobs, therapist jobs, and on and on. It is not clear where all the disaffected workers are going, but it is clear that healthcare facilities are now having to work harder than they ever have in the past to fill open positions.

Looking for Something New

It is not surprising that job boards would have a lot more open doctor, nurse, and nurse practitioner jobs since the start of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was obviously at the forefront of the pandemic. It still is. A lot of healthcare professionals just had their fill in the troubled year that was 2020. Many have decided it is time for a change.

Out in Idaho, the Idaho Press recently published an article about a group of healthcare professionals who had gotten together to discuss life after healthcare. Some of them were in the position of transitioning to new careers while others had already made the switch. The group represented everyone from nurse practitioners to therapists.

It is interesting that these professionals wanted to share their stories, not to encourage other healthcare workers to abandoned ship, but to let them know that other things were out there should they decide to try something new. That’s really what all of this is about. Whether it is healthcare or some other industry, the Great Resignation is about switching gears.

Those Who Stay Behind

Virtually every industry is reeling from the fallout of the Great Resignation. Those who stay behind have their own choices to make. Do they stay, or do they go? In healthcare, employers are doing everything they can to make sure their people stay. They have every reason to do so.

It goes without saying that healthcare workers are in the driver’s seat right now. They have a lot of leverage to ask for changes. Healthcare facilities have little choice but to comply with every reasonable request. Otherwise, they stand to continue losing workers to the Great Resignation.

From nurse practitioner jobs to allied health jobs, things in healthcare are changing rapidly. That is one of the things the group in Idaho mentioned. Many of the healthcare professionals who have decided to move on say that the modern work environment is nothing like what they knew when they first got started. Again, this is understandable. Nothing remains unchanged forever.

The Opportunities Are There

Even as the Great Resignation continues, opportunities for employment abound. If you are looking for nurse practitioner jobs, you will find plenty here on our jobs board. The same goes for therapist jobs, physician jobs, etc. Take the time to look around and maybe post your resume. There are employers out there very much interested in speaking with you.

In the meantime, the healthcare sector will have to continue changing in order to adapt to the modern workforce. The old ways of doing things are not going to work any longer. The faster healthcare adapts, the faster it will right the employment ship and start moving forward again.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Searching for Medical Jobs: Going Where the Money Is

Despite the modern workforce wanting more than just good pay and benefits, there is no getting around the fact that people want to be paid what they feel they are worth. Healthcare workers are not an exception to the rule. It is with that in mind that looking at the top job markets for healthcare workers gets interesting. Some markets definitely pay more than others.

 Becker’s Hospital Review recently released a list of the highest paying job markets for healthcare workers in the U.S., based on data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). Most of what the data shows isn’t surprising. But there are a few hidden gems in the numbers.

 It is reasonable to assume that job seekers on the hunt for medical jobs might consider salary and benefits first. After that, they might look at things like location and work environment. Moreover, it could be that the majority of American workers do not necessarily want to pick up and move just to make more money.

 Top Locations for Nurses

 The first category examined by Becker’s was registered nurses (RNs). We already know that RNs are in high demand across the country. But where do they earn the most money? Apparently, it’s in California. All the top spots on the Becker’s list are found in the Golden State. Here they are:

  •  San Jose – $155,230
  • San Francisco – $151,640
  • Vallejo-Fairfield – $146,360
  • Santa Rosa – $141,440
  • Napa – $139,680.

 California seems like the place to be if you are a registered nurse hoping to maximize your paycheck. That’s curious, considering that supply and demand heavily influences salary and benefits. What is it about California that appears to make it more difficult to recruit registered nurses there?

 Advanced Practice Nurses

 Becker’s Hospital Review took the approach of dividing advanced practice nurses into two categories: nurse practitioners and physician assistants. That could be due to the fact that the top paying locations for both are different. NPs are paid most in four of the same five cities listed in the RN category. For the fifth city, just remove Santa Rosa and insert Yuba City. San Jose keeps the top spot at $197,870.

 PAs apparently make the most in the joint cities of Portsmouth, NH and Portsmouth, ME. There, they earn roughly $167,240. The remaining four of the top five cities for PAs are:

  •  Panama City, FL – $165,000
  • San Francisco – $164,150
  • San Jose – $163,720
  • Vallejo-Fairfield, CA – $162,030.
  •  California still commands three of the top five spots for physician assistants. So far, the Golden State appears to be the destination of choice for high paying medical jobs.

 Top Locations for Pharmacists

 Last on the list for Becker’s are pharmacists. If you are guessing that California jobs pay the most, you are spot on. Here are the numbers:

  •  San Jose – $168,640
  • San Francisco – $163,840
  • Santa Rosa – $158,420
  • Vallejo-Fairfield – $156,850
  • Santa Cruz – $152,770.

 It is clear that medical jobs pay extremely well in California. We just don’t quite know why. We cannot discount supply and demand but getting a clear picture would also require looking at things like median income, cost of living, and so forth. Just because healthcare workers make more money in California doesn’t mean they enjoy a higher standard of living. Things cost more on the West coast as well.

 At any rate, if you are in the hunt for medical jobs, California has plenty to offer. So do most other states. Take a good look around our job board and see what you can find. With so many jobs available in nearly every healthcare sector, you’re bound to find something that suits you.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Healthcare Jobs at the Mall? Yes, It’s a Thing!

Could your search for healthcare jobs lead you to a new position at the mall? Absolutely. As healthcare systems and medical groups are looking for ways to expand without putting a ton of money into new buildings, they are finding the mall environment quite attractive. Malls all over the country are being transformed into mixed-use facilities that include medical facilities of all stripes.

 Vanderbilt University Medical Center has already successfully converted open space at one Nashville mall into multiple clinics. Now they have their eyes set on the Hickory Hollow Mall in the city’s southeast district. The mall offers more than 1 million square feet of easily flexible space, space that could be utilized by a health clinic just as easily as a clothing boutique.

 Saving the Dying Mall

 America’s shopping malls became the place to see and be seen when they first emerged in the 1970s. Throughout the eighties and into the nineties, shopping mall owners enjoyed strong revenue and plenty of growth. But then, for whatever reason, the mall began dying out. An already struggling business model took a big hit from the COVID pandemic.

 These days, owners are looking for every possible way to save the dying mall. Mixed-use projects are one way to do that. Furthermore, inviting medical facilities to set up shop in empty mall space is a win-win for multiple reasons. Property owners benefit by signing new tenants. Medical facilities benefit from two things malls offer in spades: floor space and parking.

 Shopping malls are known for their wide-open spaces, especially in anchor stores. Turning a former department store into a surgical center is just one example. The owner of a medical center walks in and has hundreds of thousands of square feet ready to be converted into surgical suites. Outside is a vast ocean of parking space that offers patients easy access.

 The Possibilities Are Endless

 If this new mixed-use model catches on with medical groups, the possibilities could be endless. From primary care clinics to remote healthcare screening solutions, nothing is off the table. That means plenty of healthcare jobs in spaces that used to be occupied by retail workers hawking everything from bedsheets to jeans.

 Turning vacant mall space into medical space is the real estate equivalent of repurposing. It is a fantastic idea whose time has come. Think about it. How much land was cleared to build that huge mall that now sits nearly empty? It doesn’t make sense to tear the structure down and start over again. So why not re-purpose it?

 Malls are perfect for redevelopment because they are essentially skeletons of flexible space. Malls are architectural shells. You keep the perimeter walls and roof intact while inside, the space is flexible enough to accommodate just about anything. Malls are designed to be that way.

 Mixing Medical with Retail

 Even more intriguing is the concept of mixing medical with retail. One group of workers goes to the mall in search of retail jobs. Another group seeks out medical jobs. While they are all working their typical 9-to-5s, patients and customers become one and the same. They see their doctors first thing in the morning, then head down the walkway to pick up a cup of coffee before going shopping. It is a marriage made in heaven.

 Your next search for healthcare jobs may very well have you looking at mall employment. You might not be staffing the cash register at a retail shop, but you could be offering primary healthcare services in a clinic right next door. It is the wave of the future.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Kansas Becomes 26th State to Loosen NP Practice Restrictions

Nurse practitioner jobs in Kansas now offer a bit more freedom thanks to a bill recently signed into law by Governor Laura Kelly. The bill eliminates the need for direct supervision among nurse practitioners looking to provide the primary care they are trained and licensed to perform. Kansas is the 26th state to make the change. Two U.S. territories and the District of Columbia have also given greater practice authority to NPs.

 Will the remaining twenty-four states follow suit? That’s hard to say. A similar bill was defeated in Colorado in early 2022. In other states, legislators are not even having the discussion. Whether or not to sever the supervisory relationship between physicians and nurse practitioners is by no means settled.

 Independent Primary Care

 Prior to the new law, Kansas nurse practitioners were allowed to offer primary care under the supervision of a physician. An NP could work in the supervising doctor’s office or, with a written agreement in place, offer care in a separate facility. In either case, the NP’s scope and practice remained subject to doctor supervision.

 Such restrictive scope and practice laws have been common in the U.S. for decades. However, the COVID pandemic made it clear that NPs and their physician assistant counterparts are more than capable of providing quality primary care without being tethered to a physician. Perhaps that’s why just over half the states have since loosened their restrictions.

 The most intriguing aspect of eliminating direct supervision is its potential impact on nurse practitioner jobs. How will NPs choose to practice in states that don’t require it?

 Retail Primary Care

 A recent Forbes article by Senior contributor Bruce Japsen briefly mentioned the proliferation of retail healthcare clinics operated by well-known companies like CVS. The retail health clinic is nothing new, but it has gained widespread attention thanks to the pandemic. Such clinics are prime candidates for independent nurse practitioners.

 Japsen suggests that patients could be willing to seek primary care from a nurse practitioner in a retail clinic if that meant avoiding crowded doctors’ offices and long waits in the waiting room. It is hard to argue his point. Anyone who has sat waiting an hour or more for the doctor, only to be given 10 minutes of their time, might welcome the opportunity to walk into a retail clinic, see the NP, and be out the door in under 30 minutes.

 Of course, not all retail clinics get patients in and out as quickly. But the advantage of the retail model is that nurse practitioners are not bound by tight scheduling. They can see fewer patients in a day and, as a result, spend more time with each patient.

 Not Everyone on Board

 It is clear that not everyone is on board with the idea of loosening restrictions on nurse practitioner jobs. There are doctors and healthcare groups who don’t feel as though NPs have enough training to work independently. There are also patients who just do not feel comfortable visiting with an NP – especially if a doctor is available.

 Efforts to prevent states from cutting direct ties between physicians and nurse practitioners is to be expected. Healthcare is a very touchy subject for obvious reasons. Therefore, wide differences of opinion are part of any debate. Furthermore, such differences are not always worked out as evidenced by the fact that there are still twenty-four states that require physician supervision of nurse practitioners in primary care settings.

 Such supervision is no longer necessary in Kansas. With the new law in place, Kansas joins twenty-five other states in allowing nurse petitioners to practice independently.

by Tim Rush (CEO HSI, LLC)

Are Physician Assistant Jobs Jeopardized by Supervision Rules?

If two years of the COVID pandemic have taught us anything, it is that the U.S. healthcare system is anything but perfect. At the pandemic’s height, many states went so far as to temporarily relax rules regarding how and where physician assistants and nurse practitioners can work. Now, with the pandemic mostly behind us, it is time to answer an important question: are physician assistant jobs jeopardized by supervision rules?

 The question was central to the debate of a bill that was recently defeated in Colorado. House Bill 1095 would have given physician assistants a bit more freedom to practice independent of direct physician supervision. In the end, the bill was defeated after heavy lobbying by medical groups and others opposed to the changes.

Access to Quality Care

 Among its provisions, House Bill 1095 would have allowed physician assistants to work independently, but still require them to consult with a patient’s healthcare team, as they already do. Those opposed to the measure argued that freeing PAs from direct physician supervision would limit access to quality care. Some argued it could even be dangerous. The argument appears sound, but there are two sides to every coin.

 Proponents of the bill argued that PAs routinely live under the shadow of potential unemployment because their work is intrinsically tied to a physician’s job. In rural areas for example, there may be a single physician assistant working under the supervision of a single doctor. If that doctor decides to leave and go elsewhere, not having another doctor to immediately step in could mean the physician assistant loses their job. Likewise, patients served by that PA would lose access to healthcare services.

 Is either situation better or worse than the other? That is for politicians to figure out. In Colorado, they decided it is better to maintain the status quo. For the time being, PA jobs in the state will continue being subjected to physician supervision.

Other States Are Loosening Up

 If you are in favor of less supervision for physician assistants, you will be happy to know that other states are loosening their restrictions. A bill passed in Utah in 2021 eliminates the direct supervision requirement after a PA works for so many hours under a doctor.

 For example, a PA would work directly under a supervising doctor for 4,000 hours. After that, another 6,000 hours of supervision would be required – either under a doctor or another PA with 10,000 hours of experience. Completing both regimens would give a PA 10,000 hours of supervised work, leading to the right to practice independently.

Scope of Practice Remains the Same

 Whether you are talking Colorado’s defeated bill, Utah’s passed bill, or rules in any of the other states, the bigger issue is scope and practice. A PA’s scope and practice is clearly defined by state law. Proponents of the unsupervised work model say that PAs are not looking to broaden it. They are happy to continue doing what they do. They simply want to be able to do it without being tethered to a physician whose interests may or may not be aligned with the PA’s.

 What we are really talking here is primary care. That is what PAs provide in most settings. They handle routine cases so that doctors can focus on more serious cases. As a patient, this makes sense to me. If a physician assistant is trained and licensed to provide primary care, direct supervision by a doctor seems redundant.

 Are physician assistant jobs jeopardized by supervision rules? Proponents of Colorado’s recently defeated bill seem to think so. They make a good point.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Where NP, PA, & CRNA Salaries Are Highest & Lowest

Advanced practice roles are typically known to be well-paying, but where are NPs, PAs, and CRNAs making the most? The least? Find out here.

Advanced practice roles are typically known to be well-paying, often ranking high on lists of “Best Paying Jobs” both within and outside of healthcare.

This should not be surprising, considering nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified registered nurse anesthetists are highly-skilled, in-demand healthcare workers. However, where they are paid the highest and the lowest salaries may surprise you.

Below are the 10 states where NPs, PAs, and CRNAs make the most and the least, on average, according to 2020 salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nurse Practitioners – Highest Paying States

  1. California – $145,970
  2. New Jersey – $130,890
  3. Washington – $126,480
  4. New York – $126,440
  5. Massachusetts – $126,050
  6. Nevada – $119,890
  7. Minnesota – $118,900
  8. Wyoming – $118,810
  9. Hawaii – $118,780
  10. Oregon – $118,600

Nurse Practitioners – Lowest Paying States

  1. Tennessee – $99,370
  2. Alabama – $99,790
  3. Florida – $101,060
  4. South Carolina – $101,190
  5. Kentucky – $102,460
  6. South Dakota – $103,080
  7. Kansas – $104,530
  8. West Virginia – $105,220
  9. Ohio – $105,630
  10. Arkansas – $106,210

Physician Assistants – Highest Paying States

  1. Alaska – $150,430
  2. Connecticut – $146,110
  3. Rhode Island – $135,800
  4. California – $135,180
  5. Nevada – $134,710
  6. New Jersey – $131,210
  7. Washington – $129,910
  8. Vermont – $128,050
  9. New York – $126,370
  10. New Hampshire – $124,080

Physician Assistants – Lowest Paying States

  1. Kentucky – $79,390
  2. Mississippi – $85,380
  3. Alabama – $88,500
  4. Louisiana – $93,770
  5. Missouri – $94,020
  6. Tennessee – $101,640
  7. Arkansas – $101,740
  8. Indiana – $102,030
  9. South Carolina – $103,150
  10. Georgia – $104,230

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists – Highest Paying States

  1. Oregon – $236,540
  2. Wisconsin – $231,520
  3. Wyoming – $231,250
  4. Nevada – $223,680
  5. Connecticut – $217,360
  6. New York – $217,050
  7. Montana – $216,420
  8. Minnesota – $216,050
  9. New Jersey – $207,500
  10. California – $205,360

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists – Lowest Paying States

  1. Utah – $127,130
  2. Idaho – $156,250
  3. Louisiana – $161,310
  4. Kentucky – $163,700
  5. New Mexico – $164,980
  6. Arkansas – $167,030
  7. Kansas – $167,700
  8. Indiana – $169,620
  9. Alabama – $170,560
  10. Tennessee – $171,020

Ready to start your search for a higher paying advanced practice job? Click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

3 States with the Most Demand for Advanced Practitioners

With healthcare hiring rebounding, where is the demand for NPs, PAs, and CRNAs the greatest? Here are the top three states for these advanced practitioners.

The healthcare workforce, like nearly every other industry, was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing staggering job losses as the virus, and the economic fallout associated with it, swept across the nation. However, advanced practitioners are essential in a way that most other professions are not at the moment, and hiring remains steady, with the healthcare industry adding back more than 250,000 jobs during July, August, and September.

Where is the demand for NPs, PAs, and CRNAs the greatest, though? We analyzed data from our jobs website to determine what states currently have the highest inventory of openings. Here are the top three states where NPs, PAs, and CRNAs are needed most.

States with the Most Demand for Nurse Practitioners

1. New York

Average Annual Nurse Practitioner Salary in New York: $122,550

Noteworthy Openings in New York:

Click Here to Search Nurse Practitioner Jobs in New York →

2. California

Average Annual Nurse Practitioner Salary in California: $138,660

Noteworthy Openings in California:

Click Here to Search Nurse Practitioner Jobs in California →

3. Connecticut

Average Annual Nurse Practitioner Salary in Connecticut: $115,140

Noteworthy Openings in Connecticut:

Click Here to Search Nurse Practitioner Jobs in Connecticut →

States with the Most Demand for Physician Assistants

1. Pennsylvania

Average Annual Physician Assistant Salary in Pennsylvania: $102,620

Noteworthy Openings in Pennsylvania:

Click Here to Search Physician Assistant Jobs in Pennsylvania →

2. Connecticut

Average Annual Physician Assistant Salary in Connecticut: $137,060

Noteworthy Openings in Connecticut:

Click Here to Search Physician Assistant Jobs in Connecticut →

3. New York

Average Annual Physician Assistant Salary in New York: $123,080

Noteworthy Openings in New York:

Click Here to Search Physician Assistant Jobs in New York →

States with the Most Demand for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists

1. Texas

Average Annual CRNA Salary in Texas: $167,020

Noteworthy Openings in Texas:

Click Here to Search CRNA Jobs in Texas →

2. Florida

Average Annual CRNA Salary in Florida: $160,030

Noteworthy Openings in Florida:

Click Here to Search CRNA Jobs in Florida →

3. Virginia

Average Annual CRNA Salary in Virginia: $180,120

Noteworthy Openings in Virginia:

Click Here to Search CRNA Jobs in Virginia →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Unsurprising News of the Week: Another Doc Is Against Full Practice Authority

Another week, another physician calling into question the ability of advanced practitioners to treat patients as the primary care shortage looms.

“Nurse Practitioners Can’t Do What Primary Care Docs Can Do” reads the headline of an MD-penned op-ed published this month by Managed Care Magazine.

The piece, written by Alan Adler, MD, a recently retired senior medical director for utilization management and precertification at Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia, begins by setting forth three patient cases he had encountered: a 72-year-old man exhibiting concentration and memory issues, who Adler was able to diagnose with a large meningioma; a 50-year-old male who was experiencing loose stools, which Adler tied to a sugar-free candy habit after myriad GI testing; a man with an irregular heart rhythm, who had been suffering from fatigue and dizziness, who Adler had been able to help by identifying it was a case polypharmacy.

Adler then goes on to say the cases are “the intensely satisfying, salient episodes of intuition informed by our long hours of medical training,” before bringing up Nurse Practitioners and their quest for full practice authority in the face of the ballooning primary care physician shortage.

“[W]ould a nurse practitioner have recognized, diagnosed, and addressed the issues in the three cases I have just described? Are they comfortable delving into complex polypharmacy issues and stopping medications prescribed by physicians? Can they recognize Wencke-bach and its importance on an ECG in the office? I would argue probably not,” Adler debates in the piece, calling into question the ability of NPs to practice independent of physicians.

It is certainly clear that Adler, like many other physicians who have penned similar op-eds in recent months, opposes NPs as a viable solution to the physician shortage. However, like many others who have voiced their opposition, he falls short of offering an alternative, concluding his piece by calling for a model of care that has already been implemented across America and is proving to fall short of solving the problem: “I am not against new models of primary care. A primary care physician overseeing several nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants is an excellent way of increasing access to care without sacrificing quality.”

How do you feel about the op-ed and the constant opposition NPs and PAs face from physicians? Tell us below, or submit an op-ed of your own here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

How Do You Deal with “I Want to See a Doctor”?

What do you do when a patient has the audacity to say, “I want to see a real doctor,” thus calling into question your qualifications?

By Jessica Levinson

Earlier this year, while working the front desk in a specialist’s office that employed PAs, MDs, and DOs, it was a sentence I heard pretty frequently—“I want to see a doctor, not a PA.”

Though we followed company policy and told patients they would be seeing an advanced practitioner during scheduling, and though there was a clearly displayed sign in the waiting room informing patients that the practice employed PAs and NPs, patients would often claim they were not made aware and often said that they never would have scheduled an appointment and that they would not have wasted their time coming to the appointment, if they knew they were not seeing a physician, often in more colorful language.

Having written scores of articles for this very blog about the comparable or better care advanced practitioners provide, I cringed every time—while I also tried to convince patients to keep their appointments and see the advanced practitioner on staff. Sometimes, it worked. Sometimes, it didn’t. Mostly, I wondered how PAs and NPs dealt with the question themselves.

I asked one of the PAs on staff this very question. She said, in summation, “I’m not going to force them to see me. If they want to see a doctor, they’re welcome to. It’s just going to be a few weeks before they can get that appointment.”

As the physician shortage continues to grow and, in turn, to leave gaps in access to care, her sentiment seemed pretty spot on. Often, when scheduling patients, I was able to offer same day appointments with the PA or NP, but would need to look as far as three weeks out for a ten-minute time slot with the MD.

To me, it is more important to have whatever my medical issue is handled by someone who knows more than myself and a Google search, no matter their title. However, some will continue to want to be cared for exclusively by physicians. When they do, how do you find yourself responding? Tell us in the comments below.

Jessica Levinson is HealthJobsNationwide.com’s Social Media Manager and Brand Ambassador, who also moonlights as a best-selling poet and freelance writer.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Yet Another Physician Speaks Out Against PAs, NPs

As the physician shortage worsens, there is no shortage of physicians speaking out against the idea of PAs and NPs being comparable substitutes.

A physician-penned op-ed published online this week entitled “NPs/PAs ‘Just as Effective’ as Physicians? I Don’t Think So” casts a negative spotlight on PAs and NPs, yet again.

The piece, which was written by Starla Fitch, MD, an ophthalmologist, speaker, and personal coach, brings up the oft talked about physician shortage and all but ridicules the idea of advanced practitioners as a comparable substitute, with Fitch stating in the piece, “With all due respect to our healthcare team, I beg to differ that going through four years of college and completing an additional two years – sometimes online, no less – can truly be “just as effective.””

Fitch takes issue with calling PAs and NPs equal to physicians, but admits support is needed by other members of the healthcare team.

“I’m not arguing against having the support of other healthcare members. Trust me. The shortage is real. And we need to find solutions,” Fitch writes, continuing on to say, “But please don’t say, we are “just as effective.” I realize that there are many duties that nurse practitioners and physician assistants can do with skill and authority. And the reasons why primary care physicians are declining is multifactorial, for sure. As I see it, though, putting physicians and our skill side-by-side, on equal footing, with those who are not physicians only serves to drive a deeper wedge between the healthcare folks who need, at this crucial time, to come together.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.