SAY PASSED AND CONTINUE PROVIDING GREAT CARE FOR THE FOLKS OF WISCONSIN.

>> SOME PHYSICIANS SAY THEY ARE WARY ABOUT THE BILL AND WANT MORE PATIENT PROTECTIONS, INCLUDING OUR NEXT GUEST, DR. DON LEE.

DR., THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO WHY DOESN'T THE MEDICAL SOCIETY SUPPORT THIS BILL IN ITS CURRENT FORM?

>> WELL, FIRST, LET ME SAY I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO BE HERE.

I'M PROUD TO BE A PHYSICIAN AND PART OF IT IS JUST LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE FOR YOU REGARDLESS, THAT WE CARE ABOUT PATIENTS.

I WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR SINCE I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD AND LEARNED HOW TO SPELL ANESTHESIOLOGIST.

MY DAD IS A PRACTISING -- WAS A PRACTISING ANESTHESIOLOGIST AND LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT AND FELT MEDICINE WAS THE BEST PROFESSION AND I WANTED TO FOLLOW THIS FOOTSTEPS.

HE TOLD ME TO STUDY HARD, AND I DID.

I'M HERE TO DEFEND OUR MEDICAL PROFESSION BECAUSE WE SAVE LIVES AND HELP PATIENTS.

>> AND SO ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT DOCTORS HAVE SUCH A HIGH BAR TO BECOME A LICENSED PHYSICIAN THAT IT'S NOT RIGHT THAT THESE OTHER KINDS OF REGISTERED NURSES, THE ADVANCED PRACTICES REGISTERED NURSES SHOULD HAVE PARITY?

>> NO, NOT AT ALL.

I WORK WITH ADVANCED PRACTISE CLINICIANS WHICH INCLUDES A.P.R.N.s, AND IT HAS BEEN GREAT.

I ALSO WORK WITH RNs, AND THERE'S NOT JUST A PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE CRITICAL, BUT THERE'S A CRITICAL NURSING SHORTAGE ALSO.

WHAT I'M SAYING IS IT'S HARD TO COMPARE MEDICAL SCHOOL WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE NURSE PRACTITIONER AND IT'S HARD TO COMPARE RESIDENCY, WHERE WE DON'T SEE PATIENTS BY OURSELVES.

WE'RE IN AN ACADEMIC CENTRE WHERE AN ATTENDING OVERSEES ALL OF OUR WORK AND WE HAVE TO PASS A MEDICAL LICENSE, STEP ONE, STEP TWO, STEP THREE, TO EVEN PRACTISE INDEPENDENTLY.

SO I DIDN'T PRACTISE INDEPENDENTLY, IF YOU WILL, UNTIL I WAS 32.

>> AND SO SUPPORTERS SAY REQUIRING FOUR YEARS OF REAL WORLD TEAM-BASED EXPERIENCE INSTEAD OF THE TWO THAT'S IN THIS BILL BOXES OUT ADVANCED PRACTISE REGISTERED NURSES.

WHY IS THAT LEVEL, THAT FOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, NEEDED, IN YOUR MIND?

>> OUR POSITION IS TO REQUIRE FOUR YEARS OF REAL-WORLD TEAM-BASED EXPERIENCE BEFORE AN APRN CAN PRACTISE.

WE SUPPORT NOT THE -- IF YOU GET WHAT I'M SAYING.

LIKE WE HAVE MOVED IN SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT NURSING PRACTISE WITH MODIFICATIONS.

>> DO YOU THINK THAT PATIENT CARE SAFETY IS AT RISK UNDER THE PROPOSAL THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED RIGHT NOW?

>> RIGHT.

SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF STUDIES ABOUT COST AND QUALITY OF CARE, AND I WANT TO CITE -- AND I WANT TO CITE NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH IN NOVEMBER OF 2022, THE PRODUCTIVITY OF PROFESSIONS EVIDENCED FROM THE KNOWLEDGE DEPARTMENT, AND THEY USE THREE YEARS OF VETERANS HEALTH, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS, AND IT FINDS THAT NPs USE MORE RESOURCES AND ACHIEVE WORSE OUTCOMES THAN PHYSICIANS, ESPECIALLY WHEN DEALING WITH COMPLEX PATIENTS, BUT AS A PHYSICIAN, ME PERSONALLY, I SEE A PHYSICIAN AS MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR.

MY DAD, IF HE HAS A PHYSICIAN, BUT I GET IT, THERE'S A PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE.

IT CAN TAKE THREE TO SIX MONTHS TO SEE HIS PHYSICIAN SO HE SEIZE AN APC, WHICH IS EARLIER, BUT THAT ABC IS WORKING DIRECTLY TOGETHER WITH A PHYSICIAN THAT INTRODUCES HERSELF AS I WORK WITH THIS PHYSICIAN AND THIS BILL WOULD COMPLETELY UP END THAT.

>> WHAT ABOUT THOSE COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENTS?

YOU THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT?

>> I MEAN, IF I'M WORKING WITH AN APC, I AND THAT APC IS GOING TO WORK OUR BUTT OFF TO PROVIDE THE BEST PATIENT CARE.

DOCTORS ARE NOT IN HEALTHCARE TO SIMPLY MAKE MONEY.

THAT'S NOT WHY WE BECAME DOCTORS.

AND SO THE VAST MAJORITY OF PHYSICIANS WORK COLLABORATIVELY, WORK WITH CARE WITH NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND APCs TO HELP PATIENTS.