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When it comes to patient care, research conducted by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners has demonstrated consistently high patient satisfaction rates.

Despite this, misconceptions surrounding the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) persist among patients. This can be a challenge for NPs, particularly those in the early days of their careers, because this means they are not only treating patients but also navigating patient perceptions about their role in healthcare delivery.

Some patients may even hesitate initially when an NP triages their care at a hospital, doctor’s office, or via telehealth, instead of a physician. This can be a disconnect especially because NPs are licensed to be fully independent practitioners who are able to do some of the same procedures a doctor would do as well as prescribe medications, depending on the state where they practice.

“I think there is confusion about the scope of knowledge and the highly skilled care NPs provide,” said Launette Woolforde, EdD, DNP, chief nursing officer at Northwell Health in New York City, where there are close to 5000 NPs in the health system. This includes providing wellness care, taking medical histories, performing physical exams, ordering and interpreting blood tests, prescribing medications and diagnosing, and treating illnesses and medical conditions. “We do everything from episodic emergency interventions to family practice — across the age continuum.”

NPs, all of whom are registered nurses (RNs), must complete a bachelor’s of science in nursing, followed by a master of science in nursing in the nursing practitioner track or doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree before passing a standardized exam to get certified. They often spend more time with patients, provide comprehensive patient education and deliver comparable quality care to physicians.

Ultimately, the best thing NPs can do is to keep reminding patients of their credentials, Woolforde said.

“This is important because the general public often doesn’t understand or isn’t aware that NPs have advanced specialized training,” she said. “They may think this practitioner is a RN with a special certification, but NPs offer an entirely different level of nursing practice.”

Here are three additional ways NPs can continue to showcase the important role they play within the healthcare field:

Begin At the Beginning

During initial appointments with new patients, Samantha Roche, NP, PMHNP-BC, a psychiatric mental health NP in private practice in East Islip, New York, makes sure to ask if the patient understands what an NP is.

“I assess their knowledge of what a NP does and ask if they have questions about my role,” Roche said. “Some have some confusion — some think I’m a junior doctor — and I work to clarify those misconceptions.”

For Roche, it’s also critical to stress what she can — and can’t — do.

“Patients know I can prescribe medication, but they often don’t understand the nuances of my role,” she said. “Broadly speaking, patients understand that NPs are nurses with a little bit more education and training. Beyond that they know we’re not physicians but the nuance of our degrees and certifications is a little bit of a gray area, which is why I always do my best to educate patients on what we do.”

Talk Up the Field

Explaining to patients that an NP will take a holistic approach to their health and wellness is a key distinction to the work NPs do, said Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PNP-BC, CPNP, a primary care provider in private practice and a clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook School of Nursing in Stony Brook, New York.

“I find that older patients especially aren’t aware of what our role is and need to understand what we do and what our approach is to helping them reach their health goals,” she said. “What’s great is that I hear this all the time: ‘You were the first person who listened to me, who looked for something that was wrong and found it.’ These statements are often made by patients who previously had no idea what a NP was.”

Maintain Strong Ties With Physicians

Instead of working in your own silo, it’s critical for NPs to continue collaborating with the doctors in their community, especially given physician shortages in some communities, Koslap-Petraco said.

“I’ve built up a terrific network of physicians who call me often because my subspecialty is immunizations and public health, so I’ll get many calls from primary care doctors asking for input on a puzzling case,” she said. “That’s how this model is supposed to work.”

Collaborations between physicians and NPs have come a long way and benefits patients in every way, Woolforde said.

“Very frequently I will find doctors working together with NPs whether in a private practice setting or via an in-patient hospital team,” Woolforde added. “When physicians endorse the work NPs do, it carries over to patients. I now see this routinely and know that it’s the patients who benefit most from this approach.”

And while NPs have full practice authority, which means they don’t have to collaborate with doctors, it’s always best to work with other healthcare professionals.

“When I call a surgeon colleague to refer a patient who needs a procedure, my patients are always amazed when the surgeon says, ‘send the person right over,” Koslap-Petraco said. “They’ll say ‘how did you do that’ and I’ll explain that this is how I practice. These are my colleagues. We all want the best for our patients.”