Why are Nurse Practitioners not allowed to sign off Basic Med??

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YKRed@reddit

And a nurse practitioner isn’t a “nurse”

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Gabriel_Owners@reddit

A nurse practitioner is literally a registered nurse.

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YKRed@reddit

A nurse practitioner is a highly advanced registered nurse. It requires graduate training. They’re a “practitioner” in the same way general practitioner is, with some limitations obviously.

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SSMDive@reddit

Yes they are an advanced nurse, not a Doctor. BasicMed requires a doctor not an advanced nurse.

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Gabriel_Owners@reddit

Everyone knows what a nurse practitioner is.

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YKRed@reddit

Not really actually. It requires multiple years of work and schooling. “Practitioner” is the operative word. Much closer to a MD/DO than a standard RN, but not many people know that I guess.

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Mountain-Captain-396@reddit

NPs and PAs do a lot of stuff that doctors do, but they didn't go to med school

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YKRed@reddit

The Secretary of State isn’t a secretary

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N4bq@reddit

I then saw on the form that they only accept MDs and DOs to sign it.

It doesn't say that. It says "state licensed physician". In my state, chiropractors count as well. I had my Basic Med done by a chiro who does nothing but DOT physicals

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Apparently in 32 states they are considered state-licensed physicians (including my home state, apparently), per those states' legal definition of a physician. Personally, I see them as semi-witch doctors, but if one of them gives me a medical certificate one day, I'm not going to complain. I'm willing to go as far as saying "Namaste".

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Mountain-Captain-396@reddit

They aren't a doctor

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MeatServo1@reddit

Because congress/the FAA said so. Call your member of congress and ask that they include NPs and PAs as eligible to sign off basic med in the next FAA reauthorization bill.

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CluelessPilot1971@reddit

Would be nice to allow them to be AMEs too.

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flyingron@reddit

The law says "state-licensed physician." If your state calls an NP a physician, then it is OK. Otherwise not. This allows some states to have chiroquacktors signing off basic med.

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massunderestmated@reddit

It's the FAA. The thought process is: That's what the regulation states.

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I-r0ck@reddit

Your normal doctor wasn’t able to do anything using recently. Change like this takes time and the FAA isn’t exactly known for being quick to do anything

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TxAggieMike@reddit

Basic med and the application process was created by congress critters and their staff. They even used an older examination criteria that included checking your personal waste exhaust port.

It was the congress critters that used the language for state licensed physician that excluded nurse practitioners.

Ones possible source of approved MD’s and DO’s that are willing to sign the form are the doc in box urgent care’s that also do the DOT physical for OTR truck drivers who need CDL’s. The basic med examination is near the same exam and liability exposure for the doc.

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EliteEthos@reddit

Why not LVNs?

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

I scheduled an appointment with my healthcare provider to do Basic Med. He is a RNP (Registered Nurse Practitioner). He operates independently under his own license, can write prescriptions, refer to specialists... I then saw on the form that they only accept MDs and DOs to sign it. I had no idea that the FAA wouldn't consider him qualified to sign off the (very basic) health assessment in Basic Med. Any idea what the FAAs thought process is in excluding RNPs from signing a basic med form??

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