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Education of Physician Assistants, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners for Rural Practice
Author(s) -
Ricketts Thomas C.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
the journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.439
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-0361
pISSN - 0890-765X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-0361.1990.tb00689.x
Subject(s) - nursing , certification , physician assistants , medicine , legislation , rural health , curriculum , economic shortage , rural area , health care , nurse practitioners , family medicine , psychology , political science , pedagogy , linguistics , philosophy , pathology , government (linguistics) , law
Physician assistants, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners have been described as a vital and unique solution to the problem of providing adequate access to high quality health care for many Americans. Each of these classifications of health care providers has been accepted as separate professions with their own standards and identities. Their curricula and educational pathways have developed into clearly distinguishable educational tracks that complement the larger disciplines of nursing and medicine. Physician assistants, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners have been singled out in federal legislation for their potential contribution to underserved rural communities (e.g., the Rural Health Clinics Services Act of 1977 and its subsequent amendments). This designation is partly due to the fact that certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants traditionally chose to practice in rural, underserved areas, and because their skills and practice structures were well matched to the needs and resources of rural areas. That pattern of practice, however, appears to have changed and the distribution of these practitioners has begun to resemble the distribution of physicians and other clinicians with heavy concentrations in urban areas and a growing shortage in rural and underserved areas.