A shortage of primary care physicians and rising healthcare costs are forcing Southern Florida's hospitals to find other health services provider options. Nurse practitioners, who are registered nurses with a specialized master's degree, are being asked to step to the plate and go to bat for Floridians in need of care.
While this may sound like a simple solution to physician shortage, the accreditation standards at nursing schools have not been raised yet. Though many nurse practitioners are capable of conducting duties typically reserved for doctors, some may not be so competent. In these instances, mistakes could be made resulting in nursing staff failure, medication error or a misdiagnosis. These mistakes could constitute hospital negligence and medical malpractice.












