Physicians is recommend: be a nurse practioner.

• Position: Medical Careers

The continuing shortage of physicians is expected to worsen as the expansion of health coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act increases the demand for primary care services. Recommendations for meeting the crisis in clude increasing the supply of primary care physicians and expanding the roles of primary care nurse practitioners.

While several physician groups oppose the perceived replacement of physicians with nurse practitioners as primary care clinicians, a survey finds that more physicians would recommend that qualified students pursue careers as nurse practitioners rather than as primary care physicians. The report from a multi-institutional research team has been published in Academic Medicine.

Senior author Karen Donelan of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, indicates that the findings reflect the need for greater clarity about the roles of primary care clinicians. "Our data has shown that primary care physicians and nurse practitioners are being educated in very different ways to provide similar types of clinical services. Nurse practitioners report much greater career satisfaction, work fewer hours, and have more time with patients. Primary care physicians appear more beleaguered and work longer hours but are better paid. We need a national dialogue that will assure the public can access primary care services provided by...