Will an NP or PA perform your next colonoscopy?

Increasingly, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are being asked to step into the role of physicians. While surgeons and procedural doctors have been fairly insulated from this phenomenon, the tide is beginning to turn. Today we are going to explore the phenomenon of NPs and PAs performing colonoscopies, screening tests for colon cancer. 

Colorectal surgeon Amer Alame MD discusses the flaws in a 2020 Johns Hopkins study advocating for the use of NPs to perform colonoscopies. 

 Riegert M, Nandwani M, Thul B, Chiu AC, Mathews SC, Khashab MA, Kalloo AN. Experience of nurse practitioners performing colonoscopy after endoscopic training in more than 1,000 patients. Endosc Int Open. 2020 Oct;8(10):E1423-E1428. doi: 10.1055/a-1221-4546. Epub 2020 Sep 22. PMID: 33015346; PMCID: PMC7508647.

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