To the Editor:

I am concerned about the aggressive way in which independent nurse practitioners are marketing themselves. I shared my concerns with the nurse practitioner who shares my office, and she agreed that it is time physicians made some kind of challenge, before it is too late.

We can have a good relationship with nurse practitioners as long as we realize that our training is not the same. Physicians need to make abundantly clear the difference between a medically schooled and residency-trained physician and a nurse with a two-year master's degree.

Family practice is still family practice, but it needs to be controlled by physicians, not nurse practitioners.

Editor's note: This letter is a response to “Nurse Practitioners: Growing Competition for Family Physicians?” in our October 1998 issue.