The main reason that I got involved in this thread (I am normally an
interested background listener) was that I could not stand back and let some
of the outrageously biased comments made by various members of this list go
by unchallenged. I am pleased (and relieved) to read some more objective and
balanced comments this morning... thanks to Doc Holliday and Rowley
Cottingham.
If this list is to serve its purpose (no pun intended) then it needs to be
objective and unbiased in its outlook. A&E and emergency care as a whole is
one of the few areas where doctors and nurse have worked well together
(often in interchangeable roles e.g. cardiac arrests) and it depresses me to
read postings in which medics use the list to denigrate nurses. I totally
agree that the last thing that we should be doing is re-igniting the old
medics v nurses routine so we all need to resist the urge...
I eel that part of the problem is that the majority of the regular
contributors are medics and obviously senior medics at that and there is not
enough input from nurses of any level (there never has been) to balance the
often one sided 'debates' in which the contributors are simply preaching to
the converted (i.e. likeminded medics) which is neither use nor ornament.
I am going to forward some of these postings to ENP colleagues around the
country so I will be interested to hear what they think... so you need to
ask yourself are you feeling lucky eh? Do I know any ENPs in the department
where YOU work? Oops sorry slip of the keyboard there...
RL
-----Original Message-----
From: Accident and Emergency Academic List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Doc Holiday
Sent: 15 August 2006 06:01
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: I think we have this all wrong
>But that's simply because I can't think of a single advantage of an ENP
>over a doctor. Not one.
--> ENPs stick around long enough for me to learn their name
--> ENPs get less complaints from patients
--> When I arrive to start a shift at 8/9 am and some crap's just happened
during the past 24 hours that I need to pick up and fix, it was NOT an ENP
who made it happen...
--> ENPs do not complain to me that they are spending too much time in
minors
--> ENPs can be left in minors for 100% of their clinical time and, at the
end of the year they have not deskilled at all - do that with a consultant
and he/she will have a bad appraisal after 12 months in minors.
--> ENPs do not call GPs and insult them.
--> ENPs can be appointed if you like them at interview, not "sent" by some
centralised appointing mechanism without you having a say about it
--> If an ENP arrives on day 1 to work, it is extremely likely that this is
the job he/she wants to be in, while your SHO may well be doing any 4-month
job he/she can get paid for in order to keep the visa or bread on the table
or both.
>I've nothing against ENPs, but to my mind they fulfil a similar function to
>an SHO or junior middle grade, but are less adaptable, less autonomous and
>often much slower.
--> Slower? You've hired the wrong ENPs then, or you've somehow managed to
find SHOs who see significantly more than 1-2 patients per hour.
>Don't get me wrong, I like working with my ENP colleagues, but only in the
>same way I like working with my junior doctors.
--> We wouldn't "get you wrong" if you avoided some of the
generalisations... If your ENPs colleagues had seen your one previous
posting in this thread, you may well find you like working with them less
after that...
>Fascinating that there has been essentially zero positive comment (actually
>zero comment at all other than the various gripes below) to my question
>regarding the advantages, disadvantages and general usefulness of ENPs.
--> I am away at a conference abroad at the moment. I'll have many positive
comments for you when I return, perhaps off-list
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