I am beyond blessed to have the primary care provider I found 20+ years ago! She was a new Nurse Practitioner at the time, and her type of practice was new to our provider group. I was tired of searching for a doctor who would listen, research & reach out to other professional, and stick around.
I was so fortunate - we have been together through the aging process, she has also been the primary for both my daughters, and she has gone on add MS and PhD degrees in Nurse Practice, Gerontology, Women's Health...
Yesterday I contacted her regarding a concerning test result, at 9am today she was on the phone discussing it & making a referral for me.
She has given me the confidence to manage my own health care and has no qualms about telling me which specialists and facilities to choose or avoid.

I asked her why, with all the additional schooling, she did not become a physician - her response - NP's are given 20/40/60 minutes per appointment. For the same issue, physicians are given 10//20/30 minutes. She says "I can't practice good medicine that way." The gastro NP told me the same thing - she has twice as much time per patient as the doc - and the ability to "refer up" to the docs if the issue is beyond her expertise. Sure has changed my thinking about choosing who to see first!
Sue