Poll: 67 Percent Favor Expanding Use of Nurse Practitioners For Routine Care

By Kenric Ward

Created 04/26/2011 - 3:27pm

A new Rasmussen poll finds that 67 percent of likely U.S. voters favor training and licensing of nurse practitioners to expand the level of routine medical care. Only 20 percent oppose such training and licensing, with another 12 percent not sure.

The poll results support efforts by Florida nurse practitioners to practice at their full scope, but their campaign has been bottled up at the Legislature, where the Florida Medical Association stands in opposition.

Rasmussen reported that 77 percent of respondents in its national poll said they would be at least somewhat comfortable visiting a trained and licensed nurse practitioner for routine medical care, with 45 percent saying they would be "very comfortable." Eighteen percent said they would not be comfortable visiting a nurse practitioner, including 5 percent who said they would be "not at all comfortable."

Florida is one of just two states that bars its licensed nurse practitioners from practicing at full scope.

See poll here