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> Kwon's family say he was the victim of a "ghost doctor," the name given to someone who performs a surgery another surgeon was hired for when the patient is un
by yhoneycomb 6y ago
> Kwon's family say he was the victim of a "ghost doctor," the name given to someone who performs a surgery another surgeon was hired for when the patient is under general anesthetic.
Sounds similar to what happens in the US: patients go to see a medical doctor (ie, someone who graduated from med school), but are instead seen by an "advanced practice" nurse with a "doctorate" of nursing practice who shows up in a white coat and doesn't properly introduce themself as a nurse practitioner.
Many nurse practitioner schools can be completed in 2 years or less following nursing school. They require 500 hours of clinical training, with an average of 650 hours. That's less than the 800 hours of training that dog groomers at Petsmart receive. It's also far, far less than the 1000s of hours of training that medical doctors receive.
It's a complete bait and switch, and it's one of the MANY issues plaguing healthcare in America.
- syspec 6y agoProbably a little different, because of the whole surgery thing. A nurse practitioner can prescribe medication like a doctor, and the years of schooling are nearly the same.
- yhoneycomb 6y ago> Probably a little different, because of the whole surgery thing. So the only thing that separates doctors from nurses is surgery? You can train a monkey to do surgery. The difficult part is the clinical decision making involved in planning the surgery or being able to think through atypical cases. This clinical decision making is equally important in all fields of medicine, not just surgery. Do you believe that incorrectly prescribed medications or missed diagnoses can't also be life threatening? > A nurse practitioner can prescribe medication like a doctor, and the years of schooling are nearly the same. This is patently false. Most nurse practitioner schools are 2 years long, although some are as short as 15 months. A bachelors degree is 4 years, plus medical school is 4 years long, and after that doctors are required to undergo a 3+ year residency training program.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago> A nurse practitioner can prescribe medication like a doctor, and the years of schooling are nearly the same. An MD is a bachelors (3 to 4 years), then a doctorate (4 years), then residency (2+ years). An NP can be a bachelors, and then a 2 year masters. Not to mention the rigor of course material and testing to become an NP is far, far lower than a doctor. I see the US becoming a country of tiered healthcare, where those who can afford it get to see doctors, and those who can’t have to see PA and NPs.
- benjohnson 6y agoI can afford anything - and I’d rather have 45 minutes of my NP’s undivided attention than the typical doctor visits of a ten minute meet and greet.
- yhoneycomb 6y agoAnd you are perfectly within your rights to do so. My issue is with advanced practice nurses who don’t make it clear that they are not doctors and did not go to medical school. They prey on people who don’t know very much about the medical field.
- syspec 6y agoPrey? That is a rediculous notion, NP are in high demand. Sounds like you had a bad personal experience
- lotsofpulp 6y agoIf you pay more for concierge medicine, you can get all the doctor's time you want. Access to healthcare is already tiered, it's just going to become more tiered with PA/NP.
- fuzzy2 6y agoHow is this even remotely comparable? The article mentions the switch occurs when patients are unconscious. They cannot give or deny consent. When you go see a doctor and it isn't a doctor, you can just leave.
- yhoneycomb 6y agoThis assumes that patients know what they are getting into. Many patients have little to no knowledge of the medical field. Being seen by a midlevel such as an advanced practice nurse or physician’s assistant isn’t even cheaper. You pay the same price whether you are seen by a midlevel or an actual doctor. I think the least we should do is require people to clearly state their credentials and offer the patient alternatives.
- kar5pt 6y agoMost US offices I've been too will tell you beforehand that you're seeing an APRN/DNP instead of an MD and ask if that's okay. Besides, I haven't seen much evidence that APRNs provide worse quality care. More hours in training doesn't necessarily mean better medical care. If you ask me, increasing the scope of what nurses can do is one of the best things the US can do to fix our Healthcare system.
- yhoneycomb 6y agoIn addition to the lack of any adequate training, many nurse practitioner schools have 100% admittance rates. The US also stands alone in how much autonomy it grants advanced practice nurses. It is no coincidence in my mind that this is at least partially to blame for the decreased life expectancy compared to other developed nations.