Nurse practitioner delusion / "Noctors" / "Midlevel staff" - Nurses get a 1 year degree and start thinking they are better than doctors

[Catmannjew]

Yup, it's dumb. NPs are basically oversaturating their own market. I got my doctorate last year, and I'm working in a leadership/ teaching roll to train NPs along side a physician. Some of these students are extremely ghetto and low life's, who had no business becoming nurses.

There are a lot of people underestimate how hard it is and could do lower tier healthcare or administration. Some have no clue and need to change majors.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

PL: I have never seen my current GP. My old doctor retired and I usually see an NP because it's easier to get an appointment with one of them.

Spoiler: Storytime

Back in December I had a mess of blood work done and it came back with high results in my hemoglobin, hemocrit, and red blood cell count. The NP said everything was fine. I don't know what high blood counts mean, I didn’t even look at those results - I was focused on my a1c.

A week later I had blood drawn by my gyno for female issues. She told me in my followup that my hemoglobin/et al was high and I needed to be sure I was drinking enough. I drink between one and half to two gallons of water a day. Sometimes more. I drink a lot.

So I looked into what could make my numbers high like that, discovered it was called polycythemia and could be somewhat serious because of the possibility of dvts and so forth, and went back for more blood work after making sure I was well hydrated.

Yet again the numbers were elevated, and the NP said they were okay! I said, I'm concerned about polycythemia vera, can i get an EPO level test, so she ran more blood work. EPO was normal but ferritin was high, so finally finally finally she referred me to hemotology. Over a month ago and I still haven't heard from them, so I called to find out what's going on and the desk staff couldn't help me. Hopefully the nurses can figure it out and get me in. I'm having trouble taking my blood sugar, my fingers just don't want to bleed.

I'm so frustrated. I'm just an average autist with a lot of time on my hands and access to Google (which lol). I shouldn't be the one suggesting tests and trying to diagnose myself because thats not what I'm trained to do.

I like being able to get into the np pretty quickly and for the most part for me they've been fine, I mostly need chronic disease blood work done and the occasional round of antibiotics for infections - but they really dropped the ball here, I feel.

 

[Aunt Carol]

PL: I have never seen my current GP. My old doctor retired and I usually see an NP because it's easier to get an appointment with one of them.

Spoiler: Storytime

Back in December I had a mess of blood work done and it came back with high results in my hemoglobin, hemocrit, and red blood cell count. The NP said everything was fine. I don't know what high blood counts mean, I didn’t even look at those results - I was focused on my a1c.

A week later I had blood drawn by my gyno for female issues. She told me in my followup that my hemoglobin/et al was high and I needed to be sure I was drinking enough. I drink between one and half to two gallons of water a day. Sometimes more. I drink a lot.

So I looked into what could make my numbers high like that, discovered it was called polycythemia and could be somewhat serious because of the possibility of dvts and so forth, and went back for more blood work after making sure I was well hydrated.

Yet again the numbers were elevated, and the NP said they were okay! I said, I'm concerned about polycythemia vera, can i get an EPO level test, so she ran more blood work. EPO was normal but ferritin was high, so finally finally finally she referred me to hemotology. Over a month ago and I still haven't heard from them, so I called to find out what's going on and the desk staff couldn't help me. Hopefully the nurses can figure it out and get me in. I'm having trouble taking my blood sugar, my fingers just don't want to bleed.

I'm so frustrated. I'm just an average autist with a lot of time on my hands and access to Google (which lol). I shouldn't be the one suggesting tests and trying to diagnose myself because thats not what I'm trained to do.

I like being able to get into the np pretty quickly and for the most part for me they've been fine, I mostly need chronic disease blood work done and the occasional round of antibiotics for infections - but they really dropped the ball here, I feel.

That's frustrating.

How it's allegedly supposed to work is that, when something unusual like this comes up and the NP is stumped, they bring it to the supervising physician. Hard to tell if this is NP hubris or if the MD is there in name only.

Like you said, it's fine seeing an NP if there's nothing new wrong with you; you get in the office more quickly, and they're easy to bully into ordering labwork. The problem is if they can't interpret the results or refer you appropriately.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

That's frustrating.

How it's allegedly supposed to work is that, when something unusual like this comes up and the NP is stumped, they bring it to the supervising physician. Hard to tell if this is NP hubris or if the MD is there in name only.

Like you said, it's fine seeing an NP if there's nothing new wrong with you; you get in the office more quickly, and they're easy to bully into ordering labwork. The problem is if they can't interpret the results or refer you appropriately.

Yeah. That's how it's supposed to work, but apparently not how it actually works. However, Tbf to her, she does have a masters degree from a school that from what I understand has a pretty good program (my Dr's office let's students do their internships there, a couple of them I saw at one time or another ended up getting hired after graduation).

But she's only been practicing for about five years. I don't know about secondary polycythemia but primary polycythemia (polycythemia vera; the blood cancer) is fairly rare as blood disorders go according to Dr Google. Most people with weird blood results end up anemic, not having too much blood. So it's entirely likely she didn't have the experience to know she should get a second look. I can't say.

But when it was brought to her attention she didn't cop an attitude or try to tell me I had nothing to worry about, she did order a lot more tests than I asked for, and did recognize it was outside her scope and refer me to a specialist. (Which I did get an appointment with btw, they can move pretty quickly if they want to) So mixed feelings. She dropped the ball, but corrected course when called on it. Still frustrating though.

 

[lurk_moar]

PL: I have never seen my current GP. My old doctor retired and I usually see an NP because it's easier to get an appointment with one of them.

Spoiler: Storytime

Back in December I had a mess of blood work done and it came back with high results in my hemoglobin, hemocrit, and red blood cell count. The NP said everything was fine. I don't know what high blood counts mean, I didn’t even look at those results - I was focused on my a1c.

A week later I had blood drawn by my gyno for female issues. She told me in my followup that my hemoglobin/et al was high and I needed to be sure I was drinking enough. I drink between one and half to two gallons of water a day. Sometimes more. I drink a lot.

So I looked into what could make my numbers high like that, discovered it was called polycythemia and could be somewhat serious because of the possibility of dvts and so forth, and went back for more blood work after making sure I was well hydrated.

Yet again the numbers were elevated, and the NP said they were okay! I said, I'm concerned about polycythemia vera, can i get an EPO level test, so she ran more blood work. EPO was normal but ferritin was high, so finally finally finally she referred me to hemotology. Over a month ago and I still haven't heard from them, so I called to find out what's going on and the desk staff couldn't help me. Hopefully the nurses can figure it out and get me in. I'm having trouble taking my blood sugar, my fingers just don't want to bleed.

I'm so frustrated. I'm just an average autist with a lot of time on my hands and access to Google (which lol). I shouldn't be the one suggesting tests and trying to diagnose myself because thats not what I'm trained to do.

I like being able to get into the np pretty quickly and for the most part for me they've been fine, I mostly need chronic disease blood work done and the occasional round of antibiotics for infections - but they really dropped the ball here, I feel.

I am a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Well for some reason, polycythemia is one of those hematological disorders that sticks out to me. I had a case study discussion in school last summer, and instantly I knew based on lab results that it was textbook polycythemia. It sticks out because everything is high, platelets, red cells (RBC count, Hgb, and Hct), and white cells. A high H&H could be hemochromatosis.

My nurse practitioner wanted to do a stool panel on me after I got C. diff from dental surgery in Mexico from a clindamycin prophylaxis when I totally requested a C. diff by NAT test. She thought I picked up a pathogen in Mexico. Mexico is the red herring in this case study. I was in fact correct it was C. diff caused by clindamycin. I feel your pain with mid-level providers. Maybe I should go on and become a physician's assistant, but I am already in debt up to my eyeballs and burnt out on studying.

RNs and MLSs have different educations.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

I am a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Well for some reason, polycythemia is one of those hematological disorders that sticks out to me. I had a case study discussion in school last summer, and instantly I knew based on lab results that it was textbook polycythemia. It sticks out because everything is high, platelets, red cells (RBC count, Hgb, and Hct), and white cells. A high H&H could be hemochromatosis.

Hemochromatosis also causes high ferritin, which I also have. I have Googled for ages looking for what high H&H and high ferritin could be. "Surprisingly", nothing came up. (Not surprisingly, Google is no replacement for a degree of any sort)

Well, I'll find out more next month, but I think you're on the right track. Genuine thanks fren.

 

[eternal dog mongler]

How it's allegedly supposed to work is that, when something unusual like this comes up and the NP is stumped, they bring it to the supervising physician. Hard to tell if this is NP hubris or if the MD is there in name only.

Well it depends on how workflow is structured. If you're at a meatgrinder outpatient practice where you're expected to shit out 15-minute visits all day then the MD is definitely not going to want complex patients dumped on them.

I'm lucky enough to work at a place where I get 20 minute slots along with scheduled huddles, so the midlevels I supervise can just bring up stuff during the huddle if they're stumped by a patient and it works well.

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

PL: I have never seen my current GP. My old doctor retired and I usually see an NP because it's easier to get an appointment with one of them.

Spoiler: Storytime

Back in December I had a mess of blood work done and it came back with high results in my hemoglobin, hemocrit, and red blood cell count. The NP said everything was fine. I don't know what high blood counts mean, I didn’t even look at those results - I was focused on my a1c.

A week later I had blood drawn by my gyno for female issues. She told me in my followup that my hemoglobin/et al was high and I needed to be sure I was drinking enough. I drink between one and half to two gallons of water a day. Sometimes more. I drink a lot.

So I looked into what could make my numbers high like that, discovered it was called polycythemia and could be somewhat serious because of the possibility of dvts and so forth, and went back for more blood work after making sure I was well hydrated.

Yet again the numbers were elevated, and the NP said they were okay! I said, I'm concerned about polycythemia vera, can i get an EPO level test, so she ran more blood work. EPO was normal but ferritin was high, so finally finally finally she referred me to hemotology. Over a month ago and I still haven't heard from them, so I called to find out what's going on and the desk staff couldn't help me. Hopefully the nurses can figure it out and get me in. I'm having trouble taking my blood sugar, my fingers just don't want to bleed.

I'm so frustrated. I'm just an average autist with a lot of time on my hands and access to Google (which lol). I shouldn't be the one suggesting tests and trying to diagnose myself because thats not what I'm trained to do.

I like being able to get into the np pretty quickly and for the most part for me they've been fine, I mostly need chronic disease blood work done and the occasional round of antibiotics for infections - but they really dropped the ball here, I feel.

Yes, they did drop the ball. High H+ H plus RBCs does not mean a clot, but it can cause one. You definitely need an extended history and physical to start with and referral to a hemtaologist. There are so many things that can cause this. High H +H shouldn't happen in women due to just dehydration.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Yes, they did drop the ball. High H+ H plus RBCs does not mean a clot, but it can cause one. You definitely need an extended history and physical to start with and referral to a hemtaologist. There are so many things that can cause this. High H +H shouldn't happen in women due to just dehydration.

I'm seeing a hemotologist on the 12th. I'm bringing her copies of all my blood work that's already been done and expect to have more done then.

 

[IsJoke]

This shit is the reason I refuse to go to the local hospital. It's full of nurses who think they know more than the doctors. I knew a guy who went in for a work injury. The doctor prescribed him medication. When the nurse came in to give it to him she straight up told him she was giving him a different medication because she didn't like what the doctor had prescribed. Most of them are twenty something single moms who think also being a nurse makes them gods gift to the world. Their ego and entitlement is amazing to see. Not to even mention how many have gotten fired for stealing pain meds from patients.

This should be an immediate lost license and fired. I know it's not because one of my friends is a nurse and deals with coworkers who do this shit and brag like being negligent is a good thing.

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

This should be an immediate lost license and fired. I know it's not because one of my friends is a nurse and deals with coworkers who do this shit and brag like being negligent is a good thing.

The thing is, nurses can not do this. That is prescribing medication, which RNs are not allowed to do. If you do an override for narcotics, that's illegal.

 

[Sparkling Yuzu]

A recent moist critical video was about a guy on a dating site that was being super cringe and comes off as a neckbeard using his supposed intelligence as a cope. One of the top comments currently is someone claiming to be a nurse who says this over the top cringe could totally be a doctor. If you watch the video it's clearly a loser coping.

She clearly has a lot of resentment towards doctors and thinks they falsely think they're smarter. I'm not so sure... The science and math required for nursing school is still more than I can do. I'm sure it's not easy. But there has to be a reason there are so many more anti-vax nurses percentage wise than doctors. Doctors have a better understanding of the scientific method. And there are retards like Jahi's retired nurse Grandma who killed her by suctioning her without permission from the doctor.

 

[Takayuki Yagami]

A recent moist critical video was about a guy on a dating site that was being super cringe and comes off as a neckbeard using his supposed intelligence as a cope. One of the top comments currently is someone claiming to be a nurse who says this over the top cringe could totally be a doctor. If you watch the video it's clearly a loser coping.

View attachment 3150762

She clearly has a lot of resentment towards doctors and thinks they falsely think they're smarter. I'm not so sure... The science and math required for nursing school is still more than I can do. I'm sure it's not easy. But there has to be a reason there are so many more anti-vax nurses percentage wise than doctors. Doctors have a better understanding of the scientific method. And there are retards like Jahi's retired nurse Grandma who killed her by suctioning her without permission from the doctor.

As I posted here a long-ass time ago, I know for a fact that the education regarding science and methodology is very much inferior to a standard Bachelor’s STEM degree, never mind a MD. Math never got brought up, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that was worse too.

 

[PBR Streetgang]

PL but I was at a dinner party with a nurse just last night.

Spoiler

She spent about 20 minutes straight slagging on patients, obviously for being poor. And then, hilariously and apparently with zero self awareness, remarked how it was soooooo weird that her coworkers are such bullies and power-tripping bitches, and that she wonders why the profession attracts those kinds of people.
Then she made fun of me for liking dark poultry meat (?) as I was eating and made other weird antagonizing comments through dinner. Charming.

 

[haunted vagina]

Math never got brought up, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that was worse too.

Most nurses have two areas of math they're concerned with:

*Calculating how many linear feet of cop dick they've taken in the past year
*How much less money will I have if I become a stay-at-home wife to a cop I meet at the hospital and stop working

 

[anliteralidiot]

PL but I was at a dinner party with a nurse just last night.

Spoiler

She spent about 20 minutes straight slagging on patients, obviously for being poor. And then, hilariously and apparently with zero self awareness, remarked how it was soooooo weird that her coworkers are such bullies and power-tripping bitches, and that she wonders why the profession attracts those kinds of people.
Then she made fun of me for liking dark poultry meat (?) as I was eating and made other weird antagonizing comments through dinner. Charming.

Were they a health freak? Some people see dark meat as unhealthy because it's more fatty (but ultimately more flavorful).

Hope she enjoyed her dry, dull chicken breast.

 

[PBR Streetgang]

Were they a health freak? Some people see dark meat as unhealthy because it's more fatty (but ultimately more flavorful).

Hope she enjoyed her dry, dull chicken breast.

No, just the type to point out literally anything anyone happens to be doing and make it into an issue, jeering at them and announcing it to others. She once demanded to know why I was sitting in a chair that was angled very very slightly to the left (away from her) as if I'd done it to slight her personally. It's crazy making. You can never just RELAX.
Im sure there are lovely exceptions to the rule out there but every time I meet a seemingly friendly nurse they end up being a jerk.

 

[mensch]

My dad was diagnosed with a heart condition a couple of years ago and was prescribed some medication by a cardiologist. He was also assigned one of these nurses who would monitor his symptoms and, incredibly, she was given the decision making powers to adjust his medication dosages as she saw fit. One of the meds she ended up pushing to 2x the safe upper limit. For another of the meds, she told my dad he could just stop taking it cold turkey since it wasn't working too well. The cardiologist had a fit because this could've apparently caused a lethal arrhythmia. Fuck these nurses.

 

[haunted vagina]

Were they a health freak? Some people see dark meat as unhealthy because it's more fatty (but ultimately more flavorful).

You know how the defining characteristic of stupid men is "not understanding where they are" and for example confusing their workplace with being at home with their close friends and casually telling their boss they have a fat ass?

The defining characteristic of stupid women is not understanding that their personal preferences are not universal facts. If she doesn't like dark meat it means people who like dark meat are defective and need to be corrected. Probably also someone who has a little bit of money or is conventionally attractive which goes a long way towards "wasn't told to shut the fuck up enough as a teenager."

 

[Larry David's Opera Cape]

Hemochromatosis also causes high ferritin, which I also have. I have Googled for ages looking for what high H&H and high ferritin could be. "Surprisingly", nothing came up. (Not surprisingly, Google is no replacement for a degree of any sort)

Well, I'll find out more next month, but I think you're on the right track. Genuine thanks fren.

I hope you've had a great consult with your specialist by now and are all sorted out. Just wanted to note that hemochromatosis is genetically complex, you can have mild symptoms if you have part of the genetic combo for it, or severe if you have the whole compliment. I noticed you were concerned about your A1C- hemochromatosis is known to cause both an artificially high A1C and actual type 2 diabetes.

And as to the whole thread- excellent thread and excellent OP. NPs today are a menace, check out CNMs and related midlevel obstetrics providers, both in and out of hospital, for further lulz and horrors.