When Ignorance Speaks: Sophia Thomas and the AANP
Sophia Thomas, NP is the immediate past president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She epitomizes what’s wrong with NPs. First, the article goes out of their way to keep calling her Dr. She is NOT a medical doctor. Let there be no doubt that this is only meant to confuse patients. Here are the first 4 paragraphs in this Becker Hospital Review article:
For Sophia Thomas, DNP, an unlikely spark lit her passion for nursing: a severe case of appendicitis at age 13.
Dr. Thomas, the immediate past president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, credits the nurses who went above and beyond to take care of her at the hospital for inspiring her career path.
Dr. Thomas ended her two-year term as AANP’s president July 1, handing the reins to April Kapu, DNP. Alongside her advocacy work, she continues to practice as a family and pediatric nurse practitioner at the DePaul Community Health Center in New Orleans.
Here, Dr. Thomas reflects on her last two years as AANP’s president and outlines how she’d like to see the nurse practitioner role — and healthcare — change.
Three times they call her doctor. Absurd. But wait, there is more. Check out this question:
Q: Many hospitals are grappling with serious nursing workforce shortages right now. What actions are needed to remedy this issue, whether on a hospital or national level?
ST: Within hospitals, credentialing nurse practitioners for admission privileges to improve access for patients is critical. Again, utilizing nurse practitioners to the top of their education and training is also important. There are some hospital-based clinics that are using nurse practitioners almost as assistants to physicians. They’re really not utilizing them to their full potential. When we talk about the financial impact, you could have other healthcare providers who are already employed providing care. Because we know that outcomes from nurse practitioner-provided care are equal to physician outcomes. So utilizing nurse practitioners to the top of their education, training and national certification would be ideal.
Nowhere does this lady answer the question. If you find something close just tell us. Is this ignorance or arrogance? We think it’s both.
The cause of the nursing shortage is the rush of nurses becoming NPs through diploma mills whose only stipulation for getting into the program is having the cash to pay (many if not most taking 100% of applicants). There is almost a direct correlation between loss of nurses and the onslaught of NPs graduating.
Does Sophia Thomas, NP say this? No. In her world, there is no need for nurses or doctors, just nurse practitioners. Can there be a more self-promoting person, organization, and group than this? We think not.
“Because a C- is still a passing grade.”
Does anyone else think it odd that not only is she drop dead gorgeous, she is styled to be more so?
For the love of God, I cannot take this anymore. I cannot even conjure up a comment. I am that pissed off. I will comment later in the day. I have to settle down…
“Because we know that outcomes from nurse practitioner-provided care are equal to physician outcomes.”
#$&^@&##$&^@&#+#$&^@&#!!!!! I do not have enough profanity to adequately answer this self-serving bullshit. Our rural area hospitals are struggling badly to retain experienced, top-notch RN’s, and those that hang on are getting burned out. I 100% support paying these badly needed professionals more! Spending more government and corporate salary dollars on actual nurses would immediately improve patient care; porting it to phony “doctors” to avoid paying real physicians merely hurts patients with less access to proper care.