PMHNP wonders if NPs can perform abortions

Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; states can ban abortion

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday stripped away the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for nearly a half-century.

Associated PressMARK SHERMAN

In light of today's landmark US Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, we have this very timely Facebook post to share with you:

"J Lee NP" actually appears to be Jeanna Dietz, owner of "Lee & Me Psychiatry" in Denver, Colorado. As one could unfortunately expect from a state that grants full practice authority to midlevel nurse practitioners, the staff roster of "Lee and Me Psychiatry" lists three NPs and exactly zero psychiatrists. And to add further insult to injury, even Google labels her a "psychiatrist":

Needless to say, labeling her business a "psychiatry" practice is hugely misleading to patients, if not downright fraudulent, and a slap in the face to actual board-certified psychiatrists who have completed years and years of grueling training in medical school, residency, and possibly fellowship. As the American Psychiatric Association states:

Psychiatry is the branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (an M.D. or D.O.) who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders. Psychiatrists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological problems.

Blue states expand who can provide abortions as they brace for a flood of patients

Doctors, lawmakers and activists are squaring off over the policy of allowing non-physicians to terminate a pregnancy

POLITICOAlice Miranda Ollstein

And we haven't even started discussing the ridiculous question of "can NPs perform abortions"! From a legal perspective, a small handful of (mostly blue) states unfortunately do allow midlevels such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and midwives to perform abortions in some form. Of course, access to care doesn't automatically equate to high-quality care, as demonstrated by the hundreds of other posts here on MidlevelWTF.

Indeed, from a medical perspective, allowing poorly-trained midlevels, particularly NPs/midwives who may only have 600 or so hours of relevant clinical exposure to perform a procedure which is often surgical in nature borders on clinical insanity. Needless to say, 600 hours doesn't even begin to hold a candle to a seasoned physician who has completed four years of medical school and another four years in OB/GYN residency working 80 hours a week. I don't know about you, but with that in mind I'm certainly not letting anyone except a residency-trained physician perform a procedure in or around my genitals anytime soon!