Nurse practitioners are becoming more prevalent within the medical field. You may never have heard of this type of healthcare provider before or not clearly understand what they do. Learning more about them can help you to better understand them. Once you learn more, you are likely to realize the there are many reasons to choose one over a doctor as your primary care professional.
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They Focus on Care
A nurse practitioner offers a different type of care than a doctor. They are focused more on the patient as a person where a doctor is focused on the illness, disease or ailment the patients is coming to see him or her about. This whole patient focus, allows an NP to create a more personal relationship with patients. This enables him or her to more easily identify other issues that could be going on with the patient. It extends to equal a more comprehensive level of care.
The Career Is Growing
More and more doctors are inviting NPs into their practices instead of partnering up with other doctors. They find it is more cost effective and patients enjoy the addition of an NP on staff. In addition, since NPs mainly focus only on primary care, they can devote more time and be more available to patients, allowing the doctor’s office to maintain good hours and keep patients appointment times more on track without delays.
If you look at all the career options for NPs, like in this University of Cincinatti article, you’ll see they are being used more and more in the industry. This means they are easy to find. Chances are a doctor’s office in your area employs one. Most insurance companies will also cover an NP as your primary care provider, so there aren’t even any insurance worries.
There are Many Faucets to Being an NP
An NP is not just a nurse. They have gone through extensive education, many holding a doctorate in nursing. They have trained in a variety of situations and fields. They have built up knowledge and skills that your average RN just doesn’t have. An NP must go through a lot to reach this level, which you should learn more about to help you understand the career.
They Offer Cost Effective Care
In many cases, NPs are offering the exact same services of doctors at a fraction of the cost. With training similar to a doctor and experience in treating patients of all kinds, NPs offer a high level of care, but because they are not doctors and still face some practice limitations, they don’t charge as much for their services. This savings can be passed onto the patients, allowing them to get more affordable care.
As you can see, nurse practitioners have a lot to offer. They are not just your average nurses. They have solid training and a varied background that enables them to provide good care that is comparable to a doctor. They may not get to use the fancy title, but most NPs are more than qualified to handle your primary care needs.
