Florida is only one of two states that do not allow Nurse Practitioners to prescribe controlled substances which include psychotropic drugs and painkillers. For years, bills have been introduced (unsuccessfully) to expand their role in health care and current legislation seeks to give them the authority to Baker Act.
Currently in Florida, Nurse Practitioners are required to be supervised by a Physician rather than just collaborate with one. There are only a dozen other states in the country who require this.
Nurse practitioner advocates argue that: ARNP's have been providing these services for years with a proven track record of safety to consumers. Projected shortages of Primary Care docs (90K in 7 years) make ARNP's even more valuable to fill the gap and that their training and education (RN's with a post graduate degree) are sufficient.
Opponents of this legislation debate that Nurse Practitioners education and training are not sufficient. A Physician spends 11 years in training and education versus the 5 1/2-7 years for an ARNP. ARNP's earn roughly 80-85% of what Physicians earn for the same service which is attractive to insurers and advocates of the Affordable Health Care Act. A literature review of 26 studies published since 2000 by the journal Health Affairs supports the ARNP's position that care is equivalent between the two types of providers.
For the full article, click below:
- www.tampabay.com -
Nurse practitioner advocates argue that: ARNP's have been providing these services for years with a proven track record of safety to consumers. Projected shortages of Primary Care docs (90K in 7 years) make ARNP's even more valuable to fill the gap and that their training and education (RN's with a post graduate degree) are sufficient.
Opponents of this legislation debate that Nurse Practitioners education and training are not sufficient. A Physician spends 11 years in training and education versus the 5 1/2-7 years for an ARNP. ARNP's earn roughly 80-85% of what Physicians earn for the same service which is attractive to insurers and advocates of the Affordable Health Care Act. A literature review of 26 studies published since 2000 by the journal Health Affairs supports the ARNP's position that care is equivalent between the two types of providers.
For the full article, click below:
- www.tampabay.com -
