SCOPE OF PRACTICE
But these numbers were not the most interesting part of the story , at least to this reader . Instead , it was that a single company , Adtalem Global Education had granted more than 8,600 advanced nursing degrees in 2022 , or one out of every seven . The authors also outline that these degrees can cost more than many medical degrees ( they quoted $ 44,370 ), and that the company ’ s revenue was $ 1.5 billion in 2023 , partly funded by federal student loans . Adtalem ’ s former name ? DeVry University , a nearly household name in recent years .
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners issued a response 5 that outlined what many of us already know or assumed . Nurse practitioner programs are accredited by the Department of Education ( DOE ) and rightly outlined research that has demonstrated efficient and efficacious care is provided by APRNs . Most impressively though , again to this reader , was the way a multitude of APRNs spoke , on the record , about reform . Many of them have personally identified mechanisms for improvement to their own training and the training of those who come after . They have formed committees , raised alarms within their institutions and even have “ cavorted with the enemy ” ( that ’ s MDs , if you are wondering ) in seeking to bring about reform .
This bravery should speak to us . I was left , after reading the article , not with a sense of the numbers I had set out to gain , but with the feeling that I needed to spend more time in some APRN shoes . Helping our future patients is paramount , but I also get the sense that our colleagues would appreciate our help as well . Many MDs feel that there is a void that well-trained NPs can fill , but we would acknowledge that their space is one we do not understand . We may even have a sense that there is “ us ” and there is “ them .” After reading the article and talking to some of my colleagues , I walked away with a different sense : we should and must be helping .
References :
1
Riegert M , Nandwani M , Thul B , et al . Experience of nurse practitioners performing colonoscopy after endoscopic training in more than 1,000 patients . Endosc Int Open 2020 ; 8 : E1423-E1428 .
2
Is the Nurse Practitioner Job Boom Putting US Health Care At Risk ? Bloomberg . July 24 , 2024 . https :// www . bloomberg . com / news / features / 2024-07-24 / is-the-nurse-practitioner-job-boom-putting-us-health-careat-risk
3100 Best Jobs . U . S . News & World Report . https :// money . usnews . com / careers / best-jobs / rankings / the-100-best-jobs
4
Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2023 https :// www . medscape . com / slideshow / 2023-compensation-overview-6016341
5
AANP Responds to Recent Article in Bloomberg News . American Association of Nurse Practitioners . July 29 , 2024 . https :// www . aanp . org / news-feed / aanpresponds-to-recent-article-in-bloomberg-news
Dr . Rogers is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology , Hepatology , and Nutrition at the University of Louisville .
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