An RN in my state has to have basic nursing education, which does not even have to be a two year program. An NP needs to qualify for an RN license plus have additional education which may be a certificate, BA, MA, PhD or post doctorate. They also need to pass a certification test, but there doesn't appear to be a list of valid certifying agencies. They also need to be supervised for two years by either a doctor or another NP.

I don't doubt that many NPs are better to deal with than doctors and probably just nicer people in general. I find it annoying that health care still costs an ungodly sum of money while patients are being pushed towards lower paid workers. It's the Walmartification of health care.

My BF made an appointment with his doctor and never made it past the PA who told him to just go home and see what happened after a deer tick bite. It was a two minute appointment. He got a bill for $200. They could have told him over the phone that they weren't going to give him a prophylactic antibiotic or let him see a doctor.

So, when I got my insurance and saw that I can't even have a doctor as my required primary care provider, it made me mad.