MCNP Response to Bloomberg Article on Nurse Practitioner Education

The Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (MCNP) supports the highest standards of care for our patients and firmly believes in rigorous academic and clinical preparation for nurse practitioners. We appreciate the discussion generated by the July 24th Bloomberg Businessweek article, "The Miseducation of America’s Nurse Practitioners," and the opportunity to respond.

The adverse outcomes experienced by the patients referenced in the article are indeed concerning. However, they do not provide a fair or balanced representation of the capabilities and contributions of nurse practitioners (NPs).

Although nurse practitioners and physicians undergo different training, both paths are designed to equip them with the skills needed to deliver high-quality care. With the increasing demand for healthcare and a shortage of physicians, NPs are effectively bridging gaps in access and providing timely primary and specialty care for patients, especially in underserved populations.

In contrast to the working paper review of Veterans Health Administration ER claims cited by the authors, numerous studies have shown that NPs provide care that is comparable to that of physicians, have similar prescribing practices, and achieve positive health outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction. (1-4)

Rather than raising fears and discrediting the NP profession, the focus of this discussion should be on enhancing training programs and clinical experiences for nurse practitioners and advocating for federal funding so that it is more equitable to that which supports medical education for our physician colleagues.

Despite the variability among NP training programs highlighted in the article, the NP profession has established educational standards and core competencies to ensure safe and competent practice upon graduation and national certification. As NP professionals, we must lean on our accrediting bodies (CCNE, NLN CNEA and ACEN)  to uphold these standards and hold all NP programs accountable for guaranteeing high-quality clinical placements and robust educational experiences for our students.

The MCNP remains committed to policies that strengthen high standards for NP education and proudly stands by our profession and the countless NPs who provide high-quality health care to patients every day.

Laura Black, DNP, FNP-C
President, MCNP

References:

1. Huynh, J., Alim, S. A., Chan, D. C., & Studdert, D. M. (2023). Inappropriate prescribing to older patients by nurse practitioners and primary care physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 176(11).
2. Sarzynski, E., & Barry, H. (2019). Current evidence and controversies: Advanced practice providers in healthcare. The American Journal of Managed Care, 25(8), 366-368.
3. Jackson, G. L., Smith, V. A., Edelman, D., Woolson, S. L., Hendrix, C. C., Everett, C. M., Berkowitz, T. S., White, B. S., & Morgan, P. A. (2018). Intermediate diabetes outcomes in patients managed by physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants: A cohort study. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169(12), 825-835.
4. Kippenbrock, T., Emory, J., Lee, P., Odell, E., Buron, B., & Morrison, B. (2019). A national survey of nurse practitioners’ patient satisfaction outcomes. Nursing Outlook, 67(6), 707-712.