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Comment by devilbunny | Hacker News Reader

Do what you like, it's your life, but as a physician I've been stunned on occasion by some of the misunderstandings of very experienced nurses.

They don't have a medical education. They have a nursing education. They are different things. A good doctor relies on experienced nurses for what they are good at - which is recognizing someone who's in trouble, because they have spent a lot more hours at the bedside than we have and have superb spidey senses. If a nurse asks me to look at a patient, I will. If it's an experienced nurse, I'll come running.

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(also an MD) I've always conceived of it as a good NP will have been around long enough to know you usually do X when Y, but they don't know the reasoning for X or the pathophysiology underlying Y, and they don't always know when you shouldn't do X.

That said, especially in primary care, give me an NP over a PA anytime. Primary care is a numbers game and NPs roll the dice better. Specialty PAs are great; I learned some of my best ortho from ortho PAs. But generalist PAs scare me and have been the source of some horrific consults in the past.

A good doctor. That is a huge proviso alas. I wish it wasn't.

"Good" from our perspective is not always the same as "good" from a patient perspective. Some of the best doctors I know have the bedside manner of a chunk of midsummer roadkill. And some of the worst could charm anyone.

and nurses could tell you exactly who's who.

The best friend to have is an OR nurse. She knows which doctor is on cocaine, who cannot stop shaking when handling the scalpel, who cannot bother with a prep checklist before a surgery.

If you are doing surgery for a loved one, consult an OR nurse. They will tell you what's up.

Best of all, nurses all talk to each other, so chances are someone in their group will know that Dr. Charming over at hospital X is nicknamed The Undertaker by in-the-know staff...

Definitely true.

I've seen that and honestly, as long as they do the job well, I let it ride.

I've also seen doctors where their social skills honestly impaired them from getting through to people and thus getting the needed outcomes.

Also... Your "roadkill" doc may do well with me. Smooth talkers always seem to come up short for me.

Oh, if you want the best neurosurgeon around, and you don't mind someone who's about as charming as a bedpost, I've got your man. Technically, he's a god. Personally, there's nothing there. But if I needed neurosurgery, that's who I'm seeing.

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