The Duke neurology advanced practice provider residency: Its time has come

Abstract

I read with interest Morgenlander and Blessing's 1 experience with developing a 1-year neurology residency program for advanced practice providers (APPs), namely nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), in their institution. While I laud the authors in their effort and believe that APPs with formal training in neurology shall improve patient care, I disagree this is the way forward to address the growing shortage of neurologists. An APP with additional training in neurology is still an APP unable to independently diagnose and treat complex neurologic disorders with confidence. While APPs with additional training in neurology are a useful addition to the neurology workforce, they should not be a substitute for additional residency-trained neurologists. Congress needs to act now to alleviate this shortage. That should be the message we send out.