ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Pediatric health care work force planning efforts are increasingly incorporating the roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, especially in plans to alleviate the perceived shortage of pediatric subspecialists.
However, results from four new studies of pediatric nurse practitioners, family nurse practitioners, neonatal nurse practitioners, and pediatric physician assistants published online today in the journal Pediatrics do not seem to support that idea. The work was conducted by the University of Michigan's Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit, led by Gary Freed, M.D., M.P.H., chief of the Division of General Pediatrics and director of the CHEAR Unit.
"Although there are overall increases among those professionals, there has been no increase in the number of nurse practitioners and physician assistants going into pediatric health care," Freed says. "Newly trained professionals in those jobs will likely decrease going forward as more health care systems are designed to take care of the elderly population. Health systems need to re-think many of their future plans."
Study findings:
"This is a wake-up call," Freed says. "No one bothered to check whether or not there are more nurse practitioners and physician assistants available to provide care to children. Health care planners are making assumptions about a workforce that may not exist to the extent of their projections."
"Children are becoming a smaller and smaller proportion of the U.S. population. We must ensure that as our society ages, we have a sufficient medical workforce at all levels to address health care needs."
Authors and references:
"Family Nurse Practitioners: Roles and Scope of Practice in the Care of Pediatric Patients," Gary L. Freed, MD, MPH, Kelly M. Dunham, MPP, Carol Loveland-Cherry, PhD, RN,d and Kristy K. Martyn, PhD, FNP-BC, CPNP-PC, all of the University of Michigan, and the Research Advisory Committee of the American Board of Pediatrics. www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2010-2157 , doi:10.1542/peds.2010-2157
"Pediatric Physicians Assistants: Roles and Scope of Practice," Gary L. Freed, MD, MPH, Kelly M. Dunham, MPP, Marc J. Moote, MS, PA-C, Kara E. Lamarand, MPH, all of the University of Michigan and the American Board of Pediatrics Research Advisory Committee. www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2010-1586 , doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1586
Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: Roles and Scope of Practice, Gary L. Freed, MD, MPH, Kelly M. Dunham, MPP, Kara E. Lamarand, MPH, Carol Loveland-Cherry, PhD, RN, Kristy K. Martyn, PhD, FNP-BC, CPNP-PC, all of the University of Michigan, and the American Board of Pediatrics Research Advisory Committee. www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2010-1589 , doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1589
"Neonatal Nurse Practitioners: Roles and Scope of Practice," Gary L. Freed, MD, MPH, Kelly M. Dunham, MPP, Kara E. Lamarand, MPH, Carol Loveland-Cherry, PhD, RN, and Kristy K. Martyn, PhD, FNP-BC, CPNP-PC, all of the University of Michigan, the Research Advisory. www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2010-1596 , doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1596
PEDIATRICS