Advanced practice registered nurses are filling unmet needs for primary care, especially in rural and underserved areas. A large body of research shows they are as adept as physicians at providing primary care.
Once a month, Andrea Brassard puts on her white lab coat and heads to a health care office in Maryland, where nurse practitioners are able to practice independently—that is, without physician oversight. She sees patients, diagnoses diseases, prescribes medications, orders tests, makes referrals to specialists, and teaches and counsels patients about health and illness. Read More