Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's your right OP. If that's what you want and willing to wait, insist on it. DW is a cardiology NP and had a patient like you. Rather than seeing DW, wanted to wait 6 weeks for a doctor. The idiot died of heart attack while waiting. DW could've saved his life by catching his problems but what can you do.

That's fine for your DW but patients who want to see a cardiologist MD and make an appt to do so should be able to as well. It's not irrational to have the preference for the person with more training, sorry.

MD cardiologist - had to take premed courses, take MCAT and score above 90th percentile, medical school with multiple board exams, 3 years of internal medicine residency working over 80 hours a week. Had to at the same time publish and be top of resident class to
Match into cardiology. In addition to another board exam and also internal medicine boards.Then 3-4 years of rigorous fellowship training in cardiology with board exam at end.

NP- nursing school, then NP school (sometimes accelerated) with 500 or so clinical hours in a variety of fields. Then immediately works in cardiology.


Yes of course they are the same.

It's like you have a honda civic vs ferrari f40. most of the time, either is fine. if you are driving the autobahns in germany, yes, def you want a f40. how often do you drive the autobahns?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's your right OP. If that's what you want and willing to wait, insist on it. DW is a cardiology NP and had a patient like you. Rather than seeing DW, wanted to wait 6 weeks for a doctor. The idiot died of heart attack while waiting. DW could've saved his life by catching his problems but what can you do.

That's fine for your DW but patients who want to see a cardiologist MD and make an appt to do so should be able to as well. It's not irrational to have the preference for the person with more training, sorry.

NP here (new poster, not nurse practitioner). It's not irrational to have that preference, but it is irrational to delay getting healthcare for that preference. Perhaps we need to do a better job getting the word out that PAs and NPs are great for most situations. Also, we need to recognize that there is a massive doctor shortage so doctors really need to triage the way they use their time. I don't think OP's doctor's office did a bait and switch, I think the doctor just can't make the appointment because there are now higher priorities. The office should have made her aware of that possibility beforehand, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's your right OP. If that's what you want and willing to wait, insist on it. DW is a cardiology NP and had a patient like you. Rather than seeing DW, wanted to wait 6 weeks for a doctor. The idiot died of heart attack while waiting. DW could've saved his life by catching his problems but what can you do.

That's fine for your DW but patients who want to see a cardiologist MD and make an appt to do so should be able to as well. It's not irrational to have the preference for the person with more training, sorry.

MD cardiologist - had to take premed courses, take MCAT and score above 90th percentile, medical school with multiple board exams, 3 years of internal medicine residency working over 80 hours a week. Had to at the same time publish and be top of resident class to
Match into cardiology. In addition to another board exam and also internal medicine boards.Then 3-4 years of rigorous fellowship training in cardiology with board exam at end.

NP- nursing school, then NP school (sometimes accelerated) with 500 or so clinical hours in a variety of fields. Then immediately works in cardiology.


Yes of course they are the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's your right OP. If that's what you want and willing to wait, insist on it. DW is a cardiology NP and had a patient like you. Rather than seeing DW, wanted to wait 6 weeks for a doctor. The idiot died of heart attack while waiting. DW could've saved his life by catching his problems but what can you do.

That's fine for your DW but patients who want to see a cardiologist MD and make an appt to do so should be able to as well. It's not irrational to have the preference for the person with more training, sorry.

Oh, no need to say sorry. You are absolutely correct and my DW doesn't take it personally. If patient refuses, she will just document it and have the patient reschedule with a doc. She sees whoever is on her schedule. Docs/NPs don't control the system. They just work within the system.

Is it billed the same as an MD?

Anonymous wrote:That's your right OP. If that's what you want and willing to wait, insist on it. DW is a cardiology NP and had a patient like you. Rather than seeing DW, wanted to wait 6 weeks for a doctor. The idiot died of heart attack while waiting. DW could've saved his life by catching his problems but what can you do.

That's fine for your DW but patients who want to see a cardiologist MD and make an appt to do so should be able to as well. It's not irrational to have the preference for the person with more training, sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that the NP’s and the PA’s in the practice I go to are excellent. They seem to be much more thorough and take more time with the patients than the Md’s. If there is something drastically wrong they consult immediately with the MD’s.

I much prefer NPs for my annual GYN exam. If it's a serious illness or condition, sure, I'd like a doctor, but for routine stuff I find that they are willing to take more time and ask more questions. And if something is wrong, they consult the doctor.

+100

I like NPs I feel like they're more down to earth, easily approachable, and more relatable.. Doctors have the textbook knowledge, but the nurses have the clinical skills bc it's so routine for them.

NPs and PAs are middle class providers for middle class people.

Doctors are upper class providers for upper class people.

Um, no. What a strange take.

Well we do know that the uber wealthy have their own personal doctors and probably would consider themselves above an NP. So if she considers "upper class" only the .001%, then she's right. However, those who have their own doctors and consider those doctors to be the medical equivalent of a server in a restaurant often have worth health outcomes because they demand unnecessary interventions.

That's your right OP. If that's what you want and willing to wait, insist on it. DW is a cardiology NP and had a patient like you. Rather than seeing DW, wanted to wait 6 weeks for a doctor. The idiot died of heart attack while waiting. DW could've saved his life by catching his problems but what can you do.

Most of the time a regular nurse would be fine for me but certainly an NP can handle anything I have to throw at them.

Anonymous wrote:Why is it so hard to see a doctor? So many practices want to stick you with an NP or some other APP its just ridiculous.
My last visit I specifically asked to see an MD only to be called the day before to be told that I would be seeing the NP.
Nurse Practioners have no where near the training that a physician has, its not the same as seeing an MD or a DO.
Vent over !

Change provider.

If you specified you were requesting a physician and they "forced" a NP on you, then stop giving them your business.

That is clearly their business model. It would not work for me either.

I'm with many of the others that as my PCP I've had far better experiences with NPs than MDs.
And all of the NPs I've used have been very comfortable referring me to an MD when needed.

But OP, I am sorry they changed your provider on you at the last minute - even if it was an MD to MD or NP to NP, I totally understand scheduling with a specific provider because that's who you want to see.
maybe if you politely push back they'll be able to squeeze you in sometime soon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that the NP’s and the PA’s in the practice I go to are excellent. They seem to be much more thorough and take more time with the patients than the Md’s. If there is something drastically wrong they consult immediately with the MD’s.

I much prefer NPs for my annual GYN exam. If it's a serious illness or condition, sure, I'd like a doctor, but for routine stuff I find that they are willing to take more time and ask more questions. And if something is wrong, they consult the doctor.

+1000

They are well trained, see more day to day typical issues and are more likely to "care and take time to listen to problems and look for a cause". If they suspect major issues, they refer to the MD/PA. I actually prefer to see NP/PA a lot of times.
At our "hospital system" (how medical facilities are arranged where I live), they want you to see the NP for routine yearly exams and then see the MD if there are issues. If you have had issues in the past, then you can go directly to the DR. Fact is a Gyn MD who is not Obstetrics is largely a surgeon and the one trained to deal with serious issues. It is not a good use of their time to do you yearly exam/pap. I'm good with that---the NP are excellent, take more time, and have referred me to the MD whenever needed.

Based on dcurbanmoms- there is no need for MDs or their training anymore. Might as well shut down all the medical schools, clearly a waste of time.

An NP who actually takes the time to listen, be thoughtful, orders tests, and refers out when he/she reaches the limits of their own knowledge base... is an NP worth their weight in gold and far better than many, many MDs I've seen. I'm happy with the NP I see as my PCP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that the NP’s and the PA’s in the practice I go to are excellent. They seem to be much more thorough and take more time with the patients than the Md’s. If there is something drastically wrong they consult immediately with the MD’s.

I much prefer NPs for my annual GYN exam. If it's a serious illness or condition, sure, I'd like a doctor, but for routine stuff I find that they are willing to take more time and ask more questions. And if something is wrong, they consult the doctor.

+100

I like NPs I feel like they're more down to earth, easily approachable, and more relatable.. Doctors have the textbook knowledge, but the nurses have the clinical skills bc it's so routine for them.

NPs and PAs are middle class providers for middle class people.

Doctors are upper class providers for upper class people.

Um, no. What a strange take.

Lol. I’m not remotely close to “upper class”, but still somehow see an actual MD vs a PA or NP. Even us poor LMC families have rights and occasionally decent medical care, which is a shocker, I know!