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I think i have pneumonia but im not too sure!

Lung Health | Last Active: Dec 7 11:31am | Replies (23)
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@sueinmn

Please, do not denigrate NP and PA's - they are the first line of care for many people, and are as capable of ordering x-rays and other diagnostic tests as a physician. Many are better at dealing with viral illnesses than the docs, because they see them al day, every day

Also, since it was Urgent Care, the NP advice may well be based on what is being seen in their community right now. Recently my grandsons had the same range of symptoms for over 10 days each, and it was just a nasty virus that is working its way through their school. That said, at 10 days, a chest x-ray was ordered for each of them - no pneumonia.

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Replies to "Please, do not denigrate NP and PA's - they are the first line of care for..."
alexandriadel01 | @alexandriadel01 | Dec 5 12:15pm

I actually want to be a PA so i’m not sure where the “degrading” came from.. also i saw a PA yesterday and he did confirm i had pneumonia! Thanks! overall she was wrong

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vic83 | @vic83 | Dec 7 9:12am

I don't think this is to denigrate NP and PAs. This is to acknowledge that institutions are using NPs and PAs because there is a shortage of MDs and/or NPs and PAs cost less than an MD.
The fact remains that NPs an PAs have less training and much less clinical requirements. They can make the doctor more efficient, but they should not be making a diagnosis. Where was the triage in this case?
I remember going to Urgent Care in Florida on a Sunday for extreme diarrehia and weakness. I had had a flu shot that week. The PA sent me home saying the cause was my flu shot even though I told him I had been on antibiotics for 10 days and asked him if that could be the cause. (I had read the enclosure to antibiotics!) . No blood work, no stool test. The next day I called my doctor and over the phone she sent me to the Emergency room, and I was in the hospital for a week with C-diff. My potassium was so low I could have been in real difficulty! And I have been given incorrect information from NPs on more than one occassion. I have friends who say the same.
We want our medical personnel trained to the maximum and we should make going to school very cheap for specializations that we need very much and all benefit from.

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