Of those 10, three states have reinstated physician supervision requirements. Independent prescriptive privileges being granted to APN's have not improved access in any of these states. Patients in Michigan, therefore, would not have improved access to health care if this legislation were to pass. Nurses' education and training is much different than physicians'. Whereas physicians go through a minimum of eleven years of education and training, advanced practice nurses have a maximum of six years.
Nurses claim that they have more pharmacology education and training than physicians.
This simply is not true in any manner. Physicians receive thousands of hours of education and training in pharmacology throughout medical school and their residency. Nurses do not have this training or experience and do not actively learn about the mechanisms by which drugs produce their beneficial effects as well as adverse side effects. Most physicians, however, believe that patients receive the best care when doctors and nurses work together in a team setting. And, this is a model that needs to be reflected by Michigan's law.