# What's the difference between....



## Ping898 (Feb 8, 2007)

A Nurse practitioner and a Doctor?  aside from the obvious medical degree...


I went to a NP yesterday cause that is who sees new patients (which I was) first at that particular Dr. practice and i went there cause of a sinus infection and to get other scripts and the NP gave me the scripts for the antibiotic and other drugs I needed...however I didn't necessarily bring all my ailments up to her cause I don't know what her qualifications are and didn't feel comfortable having her diagnois me beyond the sinus problems (which I have had often enough to be able to diagnois myself typically...)


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## shesulsa (Feb 8, 2007)

An NP can diagnose and treat basic ailments and consult on more serious ones.  If you have other issues, you should always share them with any prescribing medical professional - so anyone you see who is going to write you a prescription for anything, you should tell your medical situation to.  Those would be:

Nurse Practitioners
Physician Assistants
and, of course, Physicians (M.D.s)

NPs and PAs are usually really good about hearing you out and referring you to the MD or consulting with the MD to treat the basic stuff if you have ongoing bigger stuff.

I tell my PA everything and he tells me what he can treat and what I have to see the MD for.  My entire medical profile is important even when I get prescriptions for sinus infections (allergies, craniofacial defect, reduced lung capacity), so I tell him.

Does that make sense?


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## Infinite (Feb 8, 2007)

Nurse Practitioners are capable of dispensing medication for infections desease and reoccuring none lethal symptoms.

Basically a NP can give you anti-boitics and pain killers but can not order an x-ray or blood tests.

They also can't set a broken bone or officially tell you its broken on a medical diagnosis.

Trust the NP she knows what she is and isn't allowed to do if you mention something of your ailments she can't diagnose she will send you to the doctor.  The whole point of the NP is to take care of the day to day General medical issues so the doctor can focus on the issues that require more medical knoweldge 

Hope that helps,

--Infy.


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## Ping898 (Feb 8, 2007)

shesulsa said:


> Does that make sense?


 

Yup....thanks.

Only thing I didn't go into was an ankle problem so in no way interacting with allergies...I told her everything else in terms of medical history...but had never delt with anyone other than a doctor before so was a little leary of doing so now....


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## fnorfurfoot (Feb 8, 2007)

Infinite said:


> Nurse Practitioners are capable of dispensing medication for infections desease and reoccuring none lethal symptoms.
> 
> Basically a NP can give you anti-boitics and pain killers but can not order an x-ray or blood tests.
> 
> ...


From what I get from my wife, who is a RN, the limitations of what NPs can do varies from state to state.  Here in MA, NPs can deal with any kind of medical issue.  Their only limitation is that they have to work under a doctor who oversees everything that they do.  

Broken bone might be the only thing they wouldn't be able to do on their own.  They could set the bone, but a physician would have to be present.

Basically, they are only limited by what they themselves are comfortable with.


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## bydand (Feb 8, 2007)

My wife is a RN right now as well and I think she has said that NP's cannot prescribe some levels of narcotics in the way of drugs.   From what she has told me I would agree with the varying levels of care they can administer from State to State.


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## zDom (Feb 8, 2007)

Ping898 said:


> A Nurse practitioner and a Doctor?  aside from the obvious medical degree...



Hmmm a nurse practitioner might say, "Not much"

whereas a physician might say, "A LOT."


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## Infinite (Feb 8, 2007)

fnorfurfoot said:


> From what I get from my wife, who is a RN, the limitations of what NPs can do varies from state to state.  Here in MA, NPs can deal with any kind of medical issue.  Their only limitation is that they have to work under a doctor who oversees everything that they do.
> 
> Broken bone might be the only thing they wouldn't be able to do on their own.  They could set the bone, but a physician would have to be present.
> 
> Basically, they are only limited by what they themselves are comfortable with.



Thanks I had forgotten about the state oversight that is an important peice if information!


--Infy


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