Uncovered California: What’s Holding Back Nurse Practitioners?

Nurse practitioners, or NPs, are registered nurses with “advanced clinical training at the master’s and doctoral levels, providingprimary, acute and specialty health care services,” according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Most NPs (55 percent) specialize in family care and in adult gerontology (nearly 21 percent). A significant number provide acute, pediatric, neonatal, women’s and psychiatric health care services.

According to a 2014 study published in Nursing Outlook, nurse practitioners are significantly more likely than primary care physicians to “practice in urban and rural areas, provide care in a wider range of community settings and treat Medicaid recipients and other vulnerable populations.”

“Uncovered California”is a three-part series of stories and videos examining how the Golden State is trying to fill holes in its health care coverage. Sasha Abramsky’s articles look at working people who are falling through coverage cracks, and at what’s being done to help community college students gain access to mental health services. Debra Varnado reports on efforts to expand the role of nurse practitioners to increase medical services for low-income Californians.