Nurse practitioners offer key service

To the editor:

Lately I have been hearing radio commercials belittling nurse practitioners. The exact quote is "... the only one able to see you is a nurse practitioner," implying that you will get a reduced level of health care and that only by visiting the advertised doctors can you receive real health care.

I find these ads disturbing and offensive. I have friends who are nurse practitioners. I have many times used nurse practitioners as my medical professional. For a group of doctors to disparage them is wrong.

Any medical professional deserves a certain amount of respect for the sheer amount of time he or she sacrifices in training and time that is poured into the profession.

An older physician in the community recently gold me that if Missouri didn't have the number of nurse practitioners it does, many people would either not have access to quality health care or would have to wait weeks or even months to see a health-care provider.

Rather than belittle these fine men and women, let's believe in them and applaud their great contribution to our health.

JEFFERY G. WEBSTER, Jackson