Barriers that prevent Nurse Practitioners from practicing in Long Term Care Facilities Nancy Marshall

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) play a key role in long term health care by ensuring provision of holistic healthcare services particularly in remote areas and in those areas that have few physicians. Currently, there is a concern where there is a shortage of physicians in nursing homes and in other critical health care services questioning the care being provided (Colwill, Cultice, & Kruse, 2008). Due to population growth, aging, and other factors, demand will outpace supply (Colwill, Cultice, & Kruse, 2008). Simply educating and training more physicians will not be enough to address these shortages (Colwill, Cultice, & Kruse, 2008). According to Colwill, Cultice, and Kruse (2008), population growth and aging will increase family physicians’ and general internists’ workloads by 29% between 2005 and 2025.