It’s not the easiest of professions; however, being a nurse practitioner offers you a certain kind of satisfaction. You’re not just a nurse who only has to care for patients based on doctors’ orders; you have much more responsibility and are allowed to diagnose and treat patients and care for their overall wellbeing. The nurse practitioner profession is respected in the medical community, and if you don’t want to go to med school yet work in a responsible and respectable position in the medical field, this is the perfect choice of profession. However, in spite of all the advantages there are to being a nurse practitioner, this job comes with its own challenges; and unless you’re aware of them and prepared to face them head on, you could find the going tough.
- Patients may not trust you: Many people don’t trust anyone other than doctors to diagnose or treat them. It’s not that they have anything personal against you, just that they have certain prejudices they are unable to overcome. Some patients come to trust you in time, others are adamant that they see only a doctor. The only thing you can do is to continue providing quality care and treating patients with concern and kindness. Don’t let their negative behavior stress you out – you know your worth, and that’s all that matters.
- Doctors may view you as competition: Nurse practitioners are doctors’ best friends because they reduce their work load and allow them to deal with more compelling and complicated medical issues. However, most doctors fail to see this point of view and so tend to look at you as competition. If you work in rural areas without the supervision of a doctor, you might not face this issue; however, if you work under a doctor, it’s best to just go about your job without worrying about their undue criticism and remarks. But not all doctors are prejudiced towards NPs, so you could change jobs if you’re so inclined.
- Insurance companies may not agree to pay for your work: Some patients are not covered to be treated by nurse practitioners, and if you discover this fact only when it’s time to claim payment for the services you’ve provided, it’s not going to be an easy battle with the insurance companies. So check patients’ insurance policies (the nurse in your practice should be able to handle this) before you check them out.
- You may feel inadequate: And finally, even though you’re qualified to treat patients in most ways, there are times when you may feel inadequate because you cannot prescribe medication or undertake certain tasks without the supervision of a doctor. If you feel the need to do something more, you could always specialize in fields like pediatrics, family medicine, acute care, geriatric care, neonatology, emergency medicine, psychiatry and mental health, and many others.
The healthcare sector is looking at a severe shortage of qualified primary care doctors and nurses in the years to come; so if you choose to become a nurse practitioner, you can rest assured that you never have to struggle to find a decent job.