response

I had post-nasal drip, fever, very sore throat, dry cough, and general malise. I was told that I had a cold and that my throat was sore because of the post-nasal drip and coughing. When I went back with the same complaint, I was told the same thing, except that it was sinusitis caused by seasonal allegies (which I do not have) and to take OTC meds for this. Turns out that I had a bacterial infection that (by this time) was allowed to spiral out of control; I was prescribed antibiotics by an MD (who ordered tests). The NPs' never ordered any tests for me. I missed school and work for almost 3 weeks, and on antibiotics for 4 weeks. This was not the first time something like this happened, but I decided at that time, it would be the last.

I asked an NP student in my statistics class to explain her training to me. She explained that they shadowed physicians and that is where they obtained their medical practitioner know-how from, versus how medical students are trained with the didactic curriculum. NP's have to pick their speciality as soon as they start, so an NP who majors in midwifery will not have expertise in family medicine, and vice versa (just a simplified example). Because there is so much to being an internist, and NPs are trained in the nursing model (focus is still on patient care) vs. the medical model, they will encounter things that they will not know. The NP student I spoke with clarified that with me and stated that the NPs I saw should have either requested tests or REFERRED me to a physician. For what ever reason, they did not. Because I feel my health is beyond the politics of medicine (i.e., what type of practitioner is "better"), I opted for a safer route and stuck with the MD's and PA's; I do know that with a PA, if I request the physician, I can see him/her (physicians were on site, versus the NP's who had clinics with out physicians on site).

I am not anti-NP; I had not-so great experiences. I just think that practitioners (NP's, OD's, DMPs' etc) who have to continuously compare their professions to MD's/DO's to reaffirm their worth should just go to an allopathic or osteopathic medical school and become an MD or DO. I think all non-physician health care providers provide a needed service in one form or another, but for those (not all, but those that do know who they are) that have the need to constantly say that they are as great, if not better than MD's/DO's tells the public they are more interested in status than the desire to diagnose and treat patients within the scope of their training (just about everyone probably has a misdiagnosis story). If they feel the need to do this, then I think they would be better off as an MD or DO.

"Anything thing that is worth having does not come easily." I think that those who want the MD or DO title and responsibility should go to medical school and not settle for a non-physician healthcare provider profession. Patients can sense their angst, and their angst reflects poorly upon their chosen profession.

I do not intend to bad mouth anyone and/or profession; I speaking from my experiences and opinions derived from them.

Good luck to all in their professional endeavors.