Mods: I put this in GQ because I believe there’s a factual answer to my question. If I’m wrong about that (and it sure wouldn’t be the first time!), kindly move to appropriate forum.
In the urology practice I visit, there are three doctors and a Certified Nurse Practitioner. The CNP can diagnose and prescribe, and she’s pretty darned cool. But I don’t know how to address her.
I understand that a CNP must have a nursing license first, then complete some more training. The extra training makes it seem like it might be something of a ‘slight’ to address her as “Nurse Houser”, but she’s not a doctor.
They function basically as supervised doctors but they aren’t an M.D. If have gotten to know several and they just want to be called by their first name. Their introductions usually make that clear. I don’t think there is a non-cumbersome way of addressing them any other way.
Quick related question for anyone bringing expertise to this thread: Is there any distinction between a R.N.P. and a C.N.P.? It sounds to me like they’re merely different ways of acknowledging that the person in question has not only gained his/her R.N. but continued with the additional studies to become a practitioner, and different states or schools acknowledge this fact with different ‘styles’.
My wife’s an NP and she thinks you may have meant to type NPC instead of CNP? She’s never heard of either RNP or CNP. She goes by APRNC and APNC. She agrees it may be a regional thing.
I had a Nurse Practicioner testify for me in a trial and the District Attorney asked him the same question on cross, and he responded “John’s fine.” Best witness I’ve ever had, by the way.
That part is true in a way but the spirit can be misleading. You don’t have to be an experienced nurse and then just get some extra training to be a nurse practitioner. There are dedicated programs that can take someone with an undergraduate degree straight through sort of like medical school except shorter. Some are experienced nurses but you don’t have to be. Physicians Assistants have a poorly thought out name but they are similar. Try asking someone in the field to explain the practical differences between physicians assistants and nurse practitioners sometime. It makes for someone uncomfortable dancing around the question.
Proper way to address a Certified Nurse Practitioner?
For the postal service, put the return address on the back of the left shoulder, and the stamps on the right. The “to” address goes a couple inches lower, to the left of the spine. Federal postal regs require that a mailed NP face away from the handler. Something about sexual harassment and religious accomodation. :rolleyes:
For UPS and FedEx, put the address label on the front of the abdomen. Their sorters prefer to look the nurse practicitioners in the eye. Live cargo that isn’t doing well gets special treatment, before delivery.
IMO, if a healthcare professional, be it a doctor, nurse or nurse practicioner, uses your first name, then you should use their first name. The person is not your superior, but your equal. You, as the patient is the leader of your healthcare team.
The nurse at the student clinic at the school I attend is a CNP. Most students address her as “Mrs. Lastname”, but I know one or two people who see her frequently who just call her by her first name.
Then again, we also address all of our professors the same way, and most administrators, and the dean, and the president, and other students (in class, anyway). So, take that with a grain of salt.
My wife is a Nurse Practitioner, so I speak from some experience when I tell you that either “Your Highness” or “Your Majesty” is the preferable form of address …
I don’t disagree with this attitude, it’s just not one I’m personally comfortable with. Also, my doctors have all called me Mrs. W until I invited them to do otherwise. I think doctors around here tend to be more formal about these things than the ones in more metro type areas.
It was kind of funny because I recently got a new OB/GYN and she kept addressing me as Mrs. Lastname, even after she’d done the complete exam. I said “Mostly, I let people who’ve been poking around in there call me by my first name”, and she laughed. I’m sure that she’d be fine with me calling her by her first name, because she did not introduce herself as “Doctor B” but rather as “Jean B”. Still, it would feel weird to me.
The Nurse Practitioner, though, I’d probably be OK with using her first name, especially if I said “You know, I’m not sure what to call you” and she said to use that.
I like the Certified Nurse Practitioners at my clinic better than the MDs, but I do not like it when anyone younger calls me by my first name without being invited. And they are always younger.
Yes, occasionally they have to probe my rectum. But that does not constitute an introduction.
Well, since it is a urology practice, I would them if they tried to probe my rectum.
Having said that, as I stated above, medical professionals around here tend to always address me as Mrs. Lastname until invited to do otherwise. Also, while I’m guessing the NP is younger than me, and my urologist is either younger than me or damned close in age, most of my docs are older than me.
them if they tried to probe my rectum. 