SCNP Member Has Letter to Editor Published!

SCNP member Alicia Craig-Rodriguez had a letter to the Editor published in today's (11/27/13) Sarasota Herald Tribune! Read her letter below.

Thanks Alicia for this most visible support of our profession!

How to ease medical gap

You recently published an article regarding the reduced scope of practice for Florida's Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) working in primary care. As a health care executive who has worked with physicians and ARNPs all over the country, Florida lags behind other states in allowing ARNPs to practice to the full extent of their training and expertise

Only a small percentage of medical school graduates enter primary care. The Florida Department of Health's 2012 Physician Workforce Report flags 16 counties plus several scattered geographic locations as "severe health professional shortage areas" due to their poor population-to-provider ratio, increased distance/travel time to sources of care, and other "special demographics" (concerning income and age). This scenario will only deteriorate unless Florida addresses these shortages. Just how do we do this? By broadening the role of the ARNP in the provision of primary care. Not one study has found that ARNPs provide inferior services to physicians when practicing primary care within their areas of expertise and training.

It's time for Florida to step out of the past and join the rest of the nation in meeting the future health care needs of our residents.

Alicia Craig-Rodriguez