Bill would free up Oklahoma nurse practitioners from doctor supervision

[TexasTowelie]

OKLAHOMA CITY — A bill introduced this week would make it easier for some medical professionals to work more independently, which some people believe could help alleviate the state’s health-care shortage.

The legislation would allow nurse practitioners and other advanced practice registered nurses to work without a supervising doctor.

Toni Pratt-Reid, a nurse practitioner who is president-elect of an association that is pushing for the law, said there is a misunderstanding among patients that high-level nurses take every case back to a doctor for approval. She described the mandatory agreements as collaborative.

“There’s no oversight to our practice on anything other than prescriptive needs,” Pratt-Reid said. “There might not even be a physician that communicates with us for two years.”

Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/bill-would-free-up-oklahoma-nurse-practitioners-from-doctor-supervision/article_4cba9a13-9122-5139-9ad1-f3bc35973589.html

[Jake Stern]

1. I've been treated by excellent NPs

In fact I prefer to be seen by the NP or PA at my doctor's office rather than the doctor. They are friendler and will take as much time as needed to get to the bottom of an issue while the doc zips in and out and is crabby.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I have had similar experiences with NPs.

I've had much better care with NPs than with MDs over the past 15 years. They take the time to refer you to other specialists such as dietitians and mental health counselors compared to MDs.

While I cannot be certain since they won't discuss politics, I also suspect that nearly every MD that has seen me in that time has been a Republican while nearly every NP has been a Democrat. Two of the primary differences that I've noticed is that it takes a doctor to prescribe controlled substances and to declare that a patient is disabled.