Not sure which flair to use but I was wondering what the difference between the two is. I understand the academic background is different but if both can diagnose, prescribe, and treat patients, what’s the difference in terms of scope of practice?
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Exactly what they can and cannot do, from a legal standpoint, does vary from place to place so that’s important. They are not always “interchangeable” in the services they can provide.
That being said, you can imagine the Venn Diagram of a medical doctor and a nurse practitioner as being two overlapping circles, but the medical doctor is simply a bigger circle. Doctors undergo more detailed and lengthy training and have a broader area of experience which they can bring to their patients.
The basic difference would be than an RN is perfectly comfortable in the support role, doing administration tasks, things like blood drawing or basic treatment, all the way up to prescribing medication and providing moderate levels of medical diagnoses. A medical doctor probably won’t get involved in administrative or support tasks but can provide advanced diagnoses or complicated long-term treatment plans for rarer, more complicated illnesses.
In short, if your illness is one of those common 80% of people will experience type illnesses, or your getting routine medical care, than an RN is perfectly capable of providing that care probably cheaper and more quickly than a medical doctor. If you’re suffering from a 20% illness that even medical professionals don’t see very often or requires rapid, intense care to address, that’s when a medical doctor would be the better option.
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