Crypto News: The nurse will see you now

Thursday, July 25, 2024

The nurse will see you now

Rayne Thoman went public with her doubts about nurse practitioner training and was subjected to severe criticism. Photographer: Brandon Watson for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Americans are increasingly likely to receive diagnoses and prescriptions from nurse practitioners. There are already more than 300,000 and it's the fastest-growing profession in the US, with ranks expected to climb 45% by 2032. In important respects, NPs are now at the center of health care, with advanced degrees permitting them to treat patients in many of the same ways medical doctors do.

This shift has many benefits—including faster access to care—but the lack of standardized training is raising alarm. Poorly-trained NPs can pose serious dangers, especially in emergency rooms. In the worst cases, patients die.

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Dozens of nursing students and professors who talked to Bloomberg Businessweek say the problems result from the surging number of programs, some of which are online-only or loosely regulated. Reporters Caleb Melby and Polly Mosendz discuss their investigation on today's Big Take podcast.

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