Will The Doctor Shortage Create Opportunities for Nurse Practitioners?
A recent New York Times article, “Doctor Shortage Likely to Worsen With Health Law” highlighted a problem facing many areas of the country — a lack of physicians, particularly primary care ones. According to the Times, “The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that in 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed. And that number will more than double by 2025…” Will this shortage which already exists today and looks to only worsen create opportunities and a demand for Nurse Practitioners? We think it will and here’s why…
The U.S. faces a huge health care crisis as the number of primary care physicians shrinks while the need grows vastly larger. As of 2008, 90% of medical school graduates chose better paying specialties with less paperwork and more status. It follows that less than half of the slots for primary care residencies in the U.S. are currently being filled. The shortage of these doctors will become even more critical as the ‘tsunami wave’ of baby boomers requires increasing care as they reach old age. And in 2014, the situation will become compounded by the millions of people added to managed-care rolls as health reform legislation takes effect.
As health care providers scramble to find a solution to the problem of treating more patients with fewer available general practice doctors, many agree that one logical remedy lies in expanding the role of advanced practice nurses. By allowing them to take over more physician functions, like independently examining patients, ordering and interpreting medical tests, prescribing medication and admitting patients to the hospital, the shortage can be significantly alleviated. Another plus is a reduction in health care costs; the Medicaid reimbursement for nurse practitioners is 85% of what primary care doctors garner for the same services.
There are incentives in place to increase the ranks of graduating general practice physicians, but even if this tactic works, the time frame for putting them into service is ten or so years down the road. Training nurse practitioners on the other hand, is quickest and least costly way to increase the ranks of desperately needed caregivers. Current estimates show that for the cost of training one doctor, as many as 12 nurse practitioners, most of whom have several years of clinical experience already from working as RNs, can be educated.
The new federal health care reform legislation supports enlarging nurse’s roles in health care, having listed nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants in the same category as primary care doctors, something that was lobbied for by many nursing organizations.
The American Medical Association is among the physicians’ organizations pushing back on expanding nurse’s roles, saying that the traditional physician-led paradigm should stay in place and that nurses are not interchangeable with physicians. Nursing advocates say that this kind of ‘turf war’ defensiveness is not unexpected, as doctors feel threatened by the expanding the autonomy of nurses.
In addressing a convention of nurse practitioners, Becky Patton, President of the American Nurses Association said, “Allowing APRNs [advanced practice RNs] to simply do what they have been educated and trained to do benefits patients by providing them with increased access to affordable, high-quality health care. If this is not the overarching objective of health care reform in this country, it should be.”
As they so often do, nurses are ready to come to the rescue. But ultimately it’s up to state legislators to pass laws expanding their autonomy so they can do so.
We have no doubt that nurse practitioners are very well suited to help address the need created by the shortage of primary care physicians.
Become A Nurse Practitioner Online
Advance your career and get the competitive advantage you need without missing a day of work by earning your Nurse Practitioner degree online. Explore accredited online Nurse Practitioner degree programs and request additional information about requirements, tuition, financial aid, and start dates directly from nursing schools offering Nurse Practitioner programs that best match your interests: Online Nurse Practitioner Programs
View Related Articles
- Top Reasons to Earn Your Nursing Degree Online
- Georgetown University’s Online Nurse Practitioner Programs Added
- Friends That Last A Lifetime: Networking in Online Nursing Programs
- Finding Scholarships For Nursing School
In addition to grants, I heard about an agreement between Virginia’s community colleges and an online university is making it faster and more affordable to get a bachelor’s degree in nursing. McDonnell said Tuesday that students who take advantage of the agreement with Western Governors University could earn their degree in three years at an estimated total cost of $17,000 in tuition and fees.
I think this is a great thing to offer but isn’t there a certain amount of hands on time that is required before you get the degree? How do they schedule the internship and hands on training if you are doing the classes on line? Is this something that you can go through quicker at home online then if you are attending classes?
Some nursing programs market themselves as online, but are actually hybrids of online and traditional programs. You don’t want to find out late in the day that the clinical aspect of your program requires you to travel, or that the requirements are too stringent for you to fulfill conveniently. Before committing to an online nursing program, find out exactly what the clinical requirements entail. You’ll want to know how many hours are required, if there are additional fees, and if you’ll be able to fulfill the clinical requirements at your current workplace or local healthcare provider. Will you be able to choose a preceptor yourself or does the school arrange that? Most online nursing programs are up-front with the clinical requirements, but be sure to ask the admissions representative these questions so you know the facts about clinical requirements before you apply.
I heard that Jacksonville University is now accepting applications for the Jacksonville University Online RN to BSN Honor Scholarship for the Fall II, 2012 session. Six scholarships are said to be awarded each year, each valued at 25% of the current tuition rate. The reduced tuition rate will be honored through graduation as long as the awarded student remains active and in good standing.
I’ve been thinking about going to school to become a nurse but I couldn’t figure out how I was going to work it in to my schedule, now I have it figured out, this is what I will do, doing it online is the best idea ever. I am glad that you have posted this because now I can do this and get a degree that will be accredited. Thank you again for the idea.
The constant changes in the health care industry requires nurses to keep up to date with the latest medical developments. So it makes sense that the way nurses can do this is by periodically taking LPN continuing education courses. The courses I’ve read about not only teach nurses new ways of assisting patients, but can also help them to further their careers.
I am going from being a direct care worker to an RN any tips or books to help me in my new managerial position. I have been in direct care for 15yrs working with the mental and physically disabled, I have never been in a role as the supervisor and am going to be working in a Long Term Care facility. I am nervous about being in that role as this is my first RN job since I graduated.
Your area of nursing practice and the organizational environment you are joining lend to forming a good working relationship between nurses laterally and between staff and management. A first step might be to do a brief SWOT analysis, a business practice applicable to nursing management that allows you to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to the productive, efficient, cohesive, and successful environment you desire. Do your nurses work well together? Do they require additional training or certifications to do their jobs, and if so, does the organization have a way to support those goals? What has the relationship between workers and past managers looked like, and are workers open or guarded about expressing opinions. Are you a good listener, and is the chain of command above you supportive of your efforts?
One personal consideration, because you ask about your own role, is whether you have a picture of what a good nurse manager looks, acts, walks, and talks like so that you can step into those shoes. Think about your experience with nurses who have managed you in the past; consider the qualities that brought out the best nurse in you, the ones who praised and encouraged you, and the ones who helped you instead of micromanaging or berating you. Nurses have a history of eating their young; as managers, we each have a responsibility to end that practice and build a positive, supportive work place that nurses are proud to call their professional homes. If you go to Amazon and type “nurse manager” into the search engine, you can “look inside” books to see which is most applicable and helpful.
Walk with confidence, assume you are going to do a good job, keep your eyes and ears open, and be the nurse manager you admired in the past until it becomes second nature to you. In many ways, it is like parenting: we learn management skills; they do not come naturally for most people. Ensure resources to educate yourself about team building, communication, and conflict resolution, and network with other nurse managers to have a resource for feedback and guidance. You have a strong background in practicing patience and understanding, and your new employer has confidence in you or they would not have hired you; share their positive perspective. Congratulations on your new position!