NPs, PAs Find Home on Hospitalist Teams

"They sometimes find it difficult to know how to delegate work," she said. "Oftentimes they don’t really know what PAs learn, what PA school is like, how many years is it, and what their learning model is. It takes some education and just experience with working with the NPPs."

Dr. Friar, who was an instructor at a recent "boot camp" for NPPs sponsored by Society of Hospital Medicine, said the NPPs they have worked with have been an asset not just from the clinical side. Their group also has NPPs who sit on hospital boards. They are oftentimes a better fit for this work than the physicians because they possess excellent leadership skills.

"Having an M.D. or D.O. after your name doesn’t magically make you a good business person or a good leader," Dr. Friar said. "That’s something that a lot of providers in a lot of hospitals forget."