Question:
Dear Donna,
I have been a nurse practitioner for eight years and have been in my current position at a private cardiology practice for 3.5 years. The two partners in the four-person cardiology group looked into offering me a partnership recently. Their lawyer told them that any partner in a physician practice needs to be a physician; NPs were not qualified. I was disappointed and was seeking any advice you may have.
Linda
Dear Donna replies:
Dear Linda,
I am not an attorney, but I do know that partnerships can be formed between many different types of people. I suspect the attorney was concerned about liability issues and may not have taken time to explore this further. But again, without knowing what state you?re in and all the particulars, I couldn?t possibly comment further.
I suggest that you contact your own attorney (or find an attorney to discuss this with) for advice. Do some of your own research, too, especially through your advanced practice associations. Don?t try to reinvent the wheel. It is this type of situation where your professional associations can be very helpful.
Don?t just accept what the attorney says. Advocate for yourself and protect your own interests. You?ll be advocating for all advanced practice nurses and your entire profession at the same time.
Good luck and let me know how you make out!
Donna
Donna Cardillo, RN, MA, well-known career guru, is Nursing Spectrum?s ?Dear Donna? and author of Your First Year as a Nurse: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional. To ask Donna your question, go to www.nurse.com/asktheexperts/deardonna. Find a ?Dear Donna? seminar near you: Call (800) 866-0919 or visit http://events.nursingspectrum.com/Seminar.
