PROFESSIONNurses move to doctorate in primary careNurses are aiming to fill the gap created as fewer physicians opt for a primary care career; doctors are skeptical.By Myrle Croasdale, amednews staff. June 6, 2005. The nursing profession is creating a career path it considers on par with primary care physicians, a move that physicians are not convinced will be in patients' best interest. Columbia University School of Nursing in New York is the first to roll out a clinical doctorate in nursing and is in the process of admitting its first applicants for the fall. Another 63 schools are planning similar programs, said Mary O'Neil Mundinger, DrPH, RN, dean of Columbia's nursing school. The two-year Columbia degree will equip nurses to become a legitimate primary care choice for patients, she said. "With more physicians going into subspecialties, there's a wonderful opportunity to fill in the gap in what physicians have conventionally done." Mary E. Frank, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, isn't so sure it's a wonderful idea. "There's been a drop-off in students choosing all of the primary care disciplines, but it seems to have bottomed out now. I don't think the answer is to have nurses take that place." More than half of AAFP member physicians work with nurse practitioners or physician assistants and find the team approach to patient care effective, Dr. Frank said. Allowing a nurse to practice independently from a physician, especially when it comes to treating chronic diseases like hypertension or diabetes, raises concerns about patient safety and quality of care, she said. To address the primary care shortage, the AAFP has been investigating what it will take to attract medical students into family medicine through its "Future of Family Medicine" project. Developing team care models that include nurses as well as other health professionals has been part of the effort. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2005 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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The doctors are in the house
The AMA's House of Delegates is holding its Interim Meeting Nov. 7-10 in Houston, addressing issues such as health system reform and physician payment. Meeting coverage - Slideshow Feature articlesHealth reform review The Massachusetts experience Litigation stress Being sued is personal as well as professional Comprehensive coverage
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