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Advanced practice nurses care for about 250,000 patients each year in Michigan. APNs now prescribe medication under the direction of an overseeing physician. Nurses with masters degrees independently assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate patient health concerns. However, currently APNs cannot prescribe drugs without a co-signing doctor. Because the co-signing doctors rarely examine the patient, they contribute little to the order. The added control mechanism of monitoring APNsÕ prescriptive decisions pushes up costs Ñ thus unnecessarily increasing medical bills. At the University, medical doctors receive 92 hours of pharmacology training. Within the School of Nursing, nurse midwives receive between 86 to 101 hours of training, nurse anesthetists receive 165 to 180 hours and nurse practitioners receive 142 to 157 hours of formal pharmacological instruction. If the state grants APNs the autonomy to prescribe medication, all liability and accountability for orders would fall squarely on able shoulders.

APNs employ a holistic approach to assess and treat the patient as a whole. Nurses focus on the physical, social and psychological aspects of the individual client and explore the illnessÕ all-encompassing ramifications. Combining research, the art of caring and the science of medicine, APNs are trained to be responsive and proactive healers. They are concerned and aggressive patient advocates and tireless, meticulous investigators Ñ the APN creed outlines these standards.

APNs are trained and licensed to treat specific diseases and populations, and will continue to work within the confines of their training. Fears that they will usurp medical power are unwarranted Ñ APNs will continue to refer to medical doctors for diagnoses when patients first present symptoms of illness. When diagnosed, patients will retain access to hospitals, specialists and doctors. APNs do not seek to replace doctors Ñ they simply work to extend and augment access to medical services. By passing legislation granting APNs the right to order prescription drugs, Michigan would join Oregon, Wisconsin, Alaska and Washington in recognizing APNsÕ proven ability to provide high quality, comprehensive medical care. Not only are they capable of providing patients with quality health care, but they provide it at a fraction of the cost of medical doctors.