The lure of specialty medicine pulls nurse practitioners from primary care

Increasingly, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are joining cardiology, dermatology, and other specialty practices, causing fears over what the trend could mean for primary care.

For many patients, seeing a nurse practitioner has become a routine part of primary care, in which these “NPs” often perform the same tasks that patients have relied on doctors for.

But NPs in specialty care? That’s not routine, at least not yet. Increasingly, though, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are joining cardiology, dermatology, and other specialty practices, broadening their skills and increasing their income.

Source: The lure of specialty medicine pulls nurse practitioners from primary care | The Lund Report