Can someone explain the difference of a nurse practitioner PCP and a regular PCP? Do you go to a nurse practitioner PCP or normal PCP? What do you prefer if you’ve gone to both? Pls comment idk what to do 😭

In the most basic terms one is a nurse and the other is a physician. physicians have to do residency , medical school etc their training is far more rigorous & lengthy than a nurses training is which would allow many physicians to be able handle more complex issues / illnesses -specialties, surgeries and the like etc . I always personally go for the physician it’s a preference which doesn’t mean that nurse practitioners aren’t capable of overseeing routine care, checkups and various other conditions

As a nurse I prefer nurse practitioners or any mid level in general. I have found in general , while working beside them or being a patient, nurse practitioners are more thorough and have better bedside manners. My pcp and my kids pediatrician are both mid levels. If I wanted a specialist I would see a doctor but for general care a mid level is my preference.

I agree with Haley - I chose a more holistic NP as our family pcp. I was looking for a good comparison and this link seems to have lots of good info! https://www.starlingphysicians.com/when-to-visit-a-nurse-practitioner-vs-doctor-for-primary-care/

@Haley 💚 I feel like this would be the way I should go too. I asked my mom why she wants me to have a physician instead of NP and she said here in the state of Oklahoma, NPs can’t prescribe medication. I’m not currently on any medications right now so it’s not all that big of a deal to me but if I were to need medication I’d assume they’d refer me to a doctor who could prescribe it?

@Lauren I just googled - but it says in OK NPs can prescribe some medications, it’s just within certain perimeters. Only certain ones and only for so long without a doctor’s supervision. I would assume they’d refer you if you needed something more extensive to a specialists. People forget that primary care doctors are typically just specialized in general medicine. They aren’t pediatricians, they aren’t dermatologists, they aren’t OBs, they aren’t nutritionists, they aren’t therapists… anything they can’t handle they can refer out to who can. They are definitely trained enough to handle the basics though. ❤️

@Lauren oh I see. That’s not really a problem. Some states a np can be full practice practitioners and some have to prescribe under a doctor. Either way if you need it, you will get it. No need to see a doctor. My pharmacy will sometimes have my prescriptions under my np or under the doctor she works with although I’ve never seen that doctor. I think it’s just controlled substances though.

Perfect. Thanks y’all! There’s a NP right down the street from where I live I see suggested ALL the time so I’m wanting to try her out as I’ve only ever had male physicians for adult primary care and I feel like they blow me off more times than not or just don’t think and actually do things correctly (testing cortisol at its peak in the morning time when I specifically said I feel like my cortisol levels aren’t going down as they should throughout the day which cortisol test for that should be later in the day from what I read). I’m going to try and get in to go see her and maybe I’ll actually be listened to and my concerns will be taken seriously and not half-assed! 💕 thanks again!

I havent noticed a difference between a physician and my NP yet. She perscribes me the same meds and refers me to the same specialist. Only pro is that i dont have to wait months for an appt with her and she listens attentively

I had been seeing NPs for years but I found that they had more turnover and every year I was seeing someone new. So we finally looked for a regular doctor and I feel like our care has more continuity now. It was hard to find one accepting new patients though

My son’s pediatrician is an Np pcp My pcp is a ‘do’ not an “md”