→Shortage Of Primary Care Physicians
Dr. Alan Harmon, the president of the Florida Medical Association, shares his insight on the proposed legislation that would allow advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) to prescribe medication without any physician’s supervision. His expertise and years of practice in internal medicine and gastroenterology field allow him to have a deeper understanding of the issue. He believes this proposal might affect a patients’ care.
The difference in training, the amount of hours of post-training clinical practice, and multiple examples of the doctors working with ARNPs are just some of the reasons Dr. Harmon mentions. He emphasizes that it’s in a patients’ best interests not to sacrifice the quality of medical care for a lower cost.
On the comparison chart for the scope of practice, it clearly indicates a need for more consideration before taking radical steps towards authorizing nurse practitioners to administer and prescribe medications unsupervised. Dr. Harmon also concluded that this proposal would not fix the shortage of Florida physicians, but it could create other problems.
