The need to collaborate was stressed over and over again by participants throughout the day. Comments from the floor made it clear that guidelines are needed for the collaborative method to work. Some doctors expressed their fears at being replaced by NPs as governments search for less expensive alternatives. The challenge for physicians is how they want to be paid and how they see themselves fitting in. Many doctors fear that a new layer of professional will mean less money for them.
Many procedures done by NPs are the bread and butter of rural doctors in less isolated areas.
NPs feel they have their own skill set at which they are as good or better than doctors so they should be allowed to practise interdependently, not just as assistants. NPs and doctors can have shared practices as equal partners, each with their own skill set. After the presentations and questions from the floor the conference broke into working groups whose reports follow. There are several problems and barriers to collaborative relationships between NPs and physicians. Skills sets and roles must be clearly defined.