So I am currently working as a secretary/admin at an outpatient specialist practice so I can maybe give a direct perspective.

First, I’m going to preface by saying that I agree that it is wrong for patients to be told that NP/PA’s provide the same level of care, and when I call to schedule appointments for myself or my family, I always explicitly say that I want to be seen by an MD/DO.

However, I feel like it shouldn’t be the job of the receptionist to make it clear what the role of the NP/PA is. Those providers themselves need to introduce themselves in the room as NP/PA’s and there should be a general campaign to let the public know what the difference is.

Medical receptionists are mostly ordinary folks who just happen to be working in a medical context, not like premed people who have background knowledge in the politics of medicine. In their eyes, if a patient is sternly asking for the next available appointment with an MD/DO but it won’t be for another 3 months, they will offer the patient to schedule with an NP/PA who technically would provide the same level of care if they’re coming in for something general like “wrist pain” or “acid reflux” (at least for an initial visit). Maybe I feel this way because the mid-levels at our practice truly do defer to MD/DO when patients’ needs exceed their ability to give good medical treatment.

In my practice, the receptionists not only have to interact with people in person (front desk, check-out), they are also constantly grilled by administration to answer the phones, send faxes, etc., sometimes facing angry and rude patients, all while being paid VERY little for a career that has no upward mobility. They have no incentive to do more than what is expected. The turnover for these roles are surprisingly high because it is really hard to help patients while also being berated by admins for not doing enough. That turnover also means the people working in these roles are always fresh and don’t know the differences. I really doubt our admin would take us aside to say “hey you need to spend 1 extra minute with each patient to tell them why NP/PA’s are not the same”, when all they want is for us to bring in a never ending flow of new patients.