Do nurse practitioners pose a threat to family physicians?: YES

Guylaine Laguë

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Lisa M Bonang

Published on: 08 January 2009
Are we only as good as NPs?
Pil Joo

Published on: 22 December 2008

Published on: (8 January 2009)
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Lisa M Bonang, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Thank you for the debate on "Do Nurse Practitioners pose a threat to Family Physicians?". I can empathize with Dr. Lague's viewpoint as I once felt the same way. That was BEFORE I have the great fortune of working with an NP student in my practice.
Over the next year and a half, I became more knowledgeable about the skill set of the primary care NP and came to value her expertise in achieving the best care for...
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Thank you for the debate on "Do Nurse Practitioners pose a threat to Family Physicians?". I can empathize with Dr. Lague's viewpoint as I once felt the same way. That was BEFORE I have the great fortune of working with an NP student in my practice.
Over the next year and a half, I became more knowledgeable about the skill set of the primary care NP and came to value her expertise in achieving the best care for the patients of my practice.
Family Physicians do not need to fear or feel threatened by the incorporation of nurse practitioners into the realm of primary care. NP's are not looking to replace us, they are looking to provide their skills toward the optimum care of patients. They want to work WITH us. If we let our egos get in the way, we are missing an excellent opportunity to enhance the care to our patients - teamwork is the way of the future and we, as a profession, need to encourage this process as much as possible.
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Competing Interests: None declared.
Published on: (22 December 2008)
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Are we only as good as NPs?
Pil Joo, Family Medicine Resident
I think it is unfortunate that this question is even asked and such a silly argument is printed on a journal representing family physicians of Canada. First of all, if one class of workers can do the same quality work for less pay than the present class of workers, I do not see why the former should replace the latter. So if it is really true that we only can do what the nurse practitioners can do, well, too bad for the F...
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I think it is unfortunate that this question is even asked and such a silly argument is printed on a journal representing family physicians of Canada. First of all, if one class of workers can do the same quality work for less pay than the present class of workers, I do not see why the former should replace the latter. So if it is really true that we only can do what the nurse practitioners can do, well, too bad for the FPs but good news for the Canadian population who is already suffering enough from doctor shortage. However, as a resident who is reaching the end of 6 years of medical training, I am not threatened. As a physician I believe that we have (or should have) much broader knowledge, skills and perspective into medicine. I think it's shame even to question that our ability is only at par with that of NPs. Rather, I welcome NPs and other allied health care workers to form a team to help my patients for whom my 10 mins appointments cannot fulfil all their needs. If any doctor should feel threatened by an NP, only suggestion I could come up with is to upgrade skill sets and further their medical knowledge.
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Competing Interests: None declared.