Monday, April 27, 2015

How Do You Feel About Being Called A "Mid-level"?

Hello all,

It's been a while since I've posted. First off, an update on my sister Denise who is doing well and made it back home due to a few donations on Go Fund Me. I really appreciated the donations. Keep them coming if you have an inkling.

Back to the subject at hand.. How many of you NPs are bothered by the term "mid-level". It personally drives me bananas! I think we need to come up with an alternate term. My collaborating MD asks why I'm bothered by it since that's what I am...
I just wonder if I am "mid-level, who's the "low level provider"? I don't feel that I give "mid care" to my patients.

Some NPs don't mind the label but some of us hate it! What say you?

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:40 AM

    I am not sure how I feel about mid level. My physician refers to NP'S as "physician extenders" which we have discussed as labels must be hashed out, and she feels it is more politically correct and quite likely she is right. Why not just primary care practitioner??

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  2. When I completed my MSN, the dean spoke a message to not be forgotten. "You are not a mid-level provider. You are doing the same job within your scope of practice as many family physicians. Don't let people call you this". It's a slang term in medical care transition that will hopefully be weeded out!

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    Replies
    1. Sounds like a smart Dean! Just as we are not "just a nurse" we are not "just midlevels".

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    2. The difference would seem to be that while you are not "just a nurse" you don't object to being referred to as a nurse, as in "nurse practitioner."

      The question would seem to be how we refer to practitioners, like NPs and PAs, who diagnose and treat patients, but are not physicians. I personally don't find "mid-level" to be disparaging, but I am not a NP or a PA. If you dislike the term, an essential step in discouraging its use is finding a good alternative.

      I personally dislike the lack of an honorific to address NPs and PAs -- "doctor" is incorrect, and "Mr./Ms." just sounds (to my perhaps oversensitive ear) as though I am trying to draw attention to the distinct. The full title is awkward and also sounds snob-worthy.

      I kinda think this will be a problem until we get away from the modern idea of a doctor as someone with a minimum of 11 years of post-secondary education, and provide shorter, simpler paths to the "doctor" title, so that all practitioners can be "Dr" together.

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