What is a Nurse Practitioner?

A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse (RN) who has completed graduate level education and training in the diagnosis and management of common medical conditions, including chronic illnesses.  Nurse practitioners are licensed to provide a broad range of health care services in all fifty states.  They provide some of the same care provided by physicians and maintain close working relationships with physicians.  They train in a specialized area, such as pediatrics.  A nurse practitioner can serve as a patient's regular health care provider.  Their specialty began in the late 1960’s when there were predictions of physician shortages and nurses with higher level training were afforded the ability to evaluate and treat patients with varying degrees of supervision by physicians.  There are about 125,000 nurse practitioners practicing in the US today.

The core philosophy of the field is individualized care with priorities in prevention, wellness and patient education.  This can mean fewer prescriptions and less expensive treatments.  Informing patients about their health care and encouraging them to participate in decisions are central to the care provided by NPs.

What is a Physician’s Assistant?

Physician assistants also complete graduate level education and are certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).  They are licensed by the state(s) in which they practice. They are health professionals who practice medicine as members of a team with their supervising physicians.  Within the physician-PA relationship, physician assistants have autonomy in decision making and provide a broad range of services.  PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, and prescribe medications.  

Much like nurse practitioners, the first class of physician assistants was started to help provide quality care due to shortages of primary care physicians in 1965.  Today there are over 79,000 graduates of PA programs. 

How are Nurse Practitioners and Physician’s Assistants used at Pediatric Partners?

At Pediatric Partners we use nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants (midlevel providers) as an extension of medical services provided by our physicians.  You may schedule appointments as always with your usual pediatrician, but you are also able to schedule appointments with one of our physician extenders:  nurse practitioners and physician assistants.  This increases flexibility in scheduling for our patients and some families choose to use one of our midlevel providers as their usual provider.  Our nurse practitioners and physician assistant typically staff our Urgent Care hours.  We hope that patients and their families agree that the midlevel providers add another valuable aspect to Pediatric Partners!

The midlevel provider duties include the following:

• Providing well-child care, including screening and immunizations
• Diagnosing and treating acute illnesses, infections and injuries
• Diagnosing, treating and monitoring chronic diseases (e.g., asthma)
• Obtaining medical histories and conducting physical examinations
• Collaborating with physicians and other health professionals as needed, including providing referrals
• Ordering, performing and interpreting diagnostic studies (e.g., lab tests, x-rays, EKGs)
• Prescribing medications that are not controlled substances
• Prescribing physical therapy and other rehabilitation treatments
• Counseling and educating patients on health behaviors

In summary, nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide high-quality, cost-effective individualized care that is comparable to the health care provided by physicians.