My Primary Care Provider for over 20 years is Nurse Practitioner is definitely not "another nurse." She is a doctor of nursing practice with 2 PhD's, and specialties in both lung health & geriatrics. She has 25 years of experience treating patients directly, and knows more on many topics than the physicians in our clinic.

In Minnesota, Nurse Practitioners must have 2 years current patient care experience, a BS in Nursing, over 50 credit hours of Advanced Nursing Practice training (equivalent to an MS), a practicum of about 1000 hours, and board certification. Many jobs require additional training in a specific areas as well.

I would rather start with an experienced NP (who in our clinical/hospital system is granted twice as many minutes per patient contact as the MD) than a harried, overworked MD anytime. My lung disorders, joint degeneration and chronic pain were all diagnosed by my NP, then referred to an appropriate specialist.

Sue