Some people use veterinary
medications to treat their own illnesses. This was just one of the
many surprises I encountered while working in rural medical clinics
in Idaho. These rural clinics were located in towns with populations
of 45 to 900 people, and were run by either nurse practitioners (NPs)
or physician assistants (PAs), who were supervised by three doctors
in a nearby town. These medical professionals could refer patients to
their overseeing MDs, in cases where they were unsure or lacked
experience. One of my more interesting
days included diagnosing a man who had overdosed on his cows'
antibiotics. I had spent the morning in a clinic with a nurse
practitioner. In the afternoon we traveled two hours to a town of
forty-five people. These people lived at the end of a road that was
surrounded by wilderness lands. Since it was the middle of winter,
they rarely ventured the seventy-five miles, on dirt roads, to the
clinic. Instead the NP and I drove a large truck through a snowstorm
to provide care in their town. This typical afternoon consisted of
seeing twelve patients. The NP drew blood, which we transported back
in a small cooler, provided proper antibiotics to those people using
their animals' medication, performed "well baby" exams, and provided
prenatal care. I arranged this internship,
in what could be considered the middle of nowhere, because I'm
interested in providing medical care in a rural town in the
Northwest. I shadowed the supervising medical doctors, the nurse
practitioners, and the physician assistants. I found the mid-level
practitioners could work with a large spectrum of patients. Their
work includes diagnosing common colds, treating diabetic patients,
providing sutures, setting minor fractures, and giving general
physical examinations. They were able to prescribe most medications.
If they were uncertain about a patient's condition, they would refer
him or her to an overseeing MD. I was impressed by the care these
mid-level practitioners could provide to remote areas that lacked
other health-care providers. I concluded that NPs and PAs play an
important role in the medical field by filling a gap in medical
services at affordable costs.
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