Outlook for NP's

Outlook for NP’s

All across the country some 155,000 NP’s give physicals, stitch wounds, prescribe drugs and manage chronic illnesses.  They do almost everything that a primary care physician does.  These Nurse practitioners are playing an increasingly important role as the pool of primary care doctors shrinks.  Many practice in partnership with a physician, but several states allow NP’ to treat patients independently. 

Researh show that nurse-practitioners decrease the cost per patient visit by as much as third, because NPs- who are paid less than physicians-tend to order fewer tests and cut down on return visits by coordinating care better.  Patients also give them high marks for spending time with them, according to a 2011 report in Medscape Medical News.  The four-NP staff of nurse-managed FamilyCare of Kent, Washington, for example sees only 16-20 patients a day.  Our patients visits last from 15-45 minutes,” says Bob Smithing, NP, FamilyCare’s clinical director.  “people are choosing nurse-practitioners because they care about having a onsistent provider who gets to know them.  Printed in AARP The Magazine, June.