After reading your thoughtful editorial urging physicians to embrace a full partnership with APNs, I would like to express my reservations.
As a physician assistant (PA), I have to take a difficult national exam every 6 years in order to keep my privileges at the hospitals in which I round and fulfill the national certifying body’s requirements for continuing medical education in order to renew my license. It recently came to my attention that most APNs do not face the burden of having to retake such an exam. I see no good reason for the leaders of the NP profession not to fall in line with the way physicians and PAs recertify.
It is also true that when a question arises about the abilities or behavior of a PA, he or she may have to go before a state board of medical examiners and answer to a panel made up almost entirely of physicians. APNs, on the other hand, face the scrutiny of other nurses. I submit that there has been a history of greater leniency shown by the nursing profession toward its members than that which PAs receive from state medical boards.
Finally, I am concerned about APNs who hold doctoral degrees and refer to themselves as “doctor.” When you visit a veterinarian, dentist, or chiropractor, there is no mistaking the credentials of the professional you see. In a hospital, however, patients will not realize that “Dr. Smith” is an APN unless that is made clear. Even then, sedated patients or distracted family members may find the repeated use of the title confusing. Patients have a right to know whether they are being seen by a doctor, an NP, or a PA.
Seth Wittner, PA-C
Henderson, Nev