Why when you go to the doctor lately do they try to have you see the Nurse Practitioner instead of the doctor?

I find this happening more and more often is there a shortage of doctors? What is a Nurse Practitioner exactly and what things can one do?

Nurse practitioners and Physician Assistants are physician extenders. They have additional training above nurses but not as much training as physicians. They report what they find when interviewing and examining a patient to the physician - with that information, the physician can make the appropriate medical decision for the patient.

That is not to say that NPs and PAs cannot make medical decisions as well - its just that they do it under the guidance and supervision of physicians.

Many NPs and PAs are more experienced than certain doctors.

As the population gets older and older, more and more people get sick. The amount of resources needed to produce and maintain a physician is very high - NPs and PAs do not require as much resources, but can do many of the things that physicians can do as well. They help decrease the burden and load that the physician has.

And NPs are certainly more than just triage nurses or glorified nurses who can prescribe medications.

duh, there very buizzy

practice nurse ,bit like a triage nurse doing the same thing ,cutting the doctors work load but making it possible for the patient to get an appointment the same day and not having to wait a week,if it is urgent the nurse will arrange for you to see a doctor but most ailments will clear within 24-48hrs on there own

busy busy

I changed doctors because of that very reason. I didn't like paying to see a doctor and then not seeing one.

I don't think it is a shortage of doctors. They want to see as many patients as they can schedule in one day. A nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant is a lot less in pay than if the doctor hired a real doctor.

I am not sure what a nurse p. can and can't do. I know they can't write prescriptions. The one I got stuck with had to leave the room and go ask the doctor everything while I sat there wasting my time........Then she would come back to me, then run back to the doctor. Sure made a lot of sense!

I think their training is in between a registered nurse and a physician's assistant.

Actually at my Doctors it's completely different. There's about 6 nurses working there, and 9 doctors. The nurses each specialise in something, like asthma, sexual health etc.
I needed an appointment with the athsma nurse last week, pretty urgently cos my inhalers weren't working for me, and I was told the next appointment I could have with her was on the 17th May!!!
I was also due to have my blood pressure checked, (yearly- for the pill) but they couldn't give me a nurse's appointment to get this done either. I ended up getting a Doctor's appointment for the next day, and he sorted everything for me. Maybe if you want to see a Doc you should join my surgery!!