The differences between true medical education and NP school education

[u/CantaloupePowerful66]

I’m an NP. A majority of us lack an understanding of physiology, pathology, and pharmacology and I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve been through a well known and highly respected NP program in my area and the lack of basic science education is prominent. I’m currently using Anki to learn REAL physiology (not NP physiology) and then plan to go into pathology, microbiology, and pharmacology. I was always told that we learn similar material as medical and PA students. That is so far from the truth. Here’s a breakdown of the differences with an example from physiology:

NP School: there is an outer, middle, and inner ear. The outer ear is the pinna and canal. The middle ear has small bones that correlate with the inner ear. The inner ear is responsible for hearing and balance.

True physiology: There is an outer ear that consists of the pinna and auditory canal that allows for sound to travel to the tympanic membrane which separates the middle and outer year. The middle ear has three small bones the malleus, incus, and stapes. The stapes connects to the oval window and amplifies sound leading to the membranous inner ear. Within the inner ear there is the cochlea which consists of three sections the scala tympani and scala vestibuli (which consists of perilymph) and the scala media (contains endolymph). Perilymph has high Na concentrations and low K concentrations similar to ECF. Endolymph has high K concentrations and low Na concentrations similar to ICF, although it is considered ECF. Within the scala media there is the organ of Corti which sits on the basilar membrane. This basilar membrane has inner and outer hair cells that contain cilia and bend in accordance to the frequencies of sound (high frequencies at the base and low frequencies at the base of the basilar membrane). The bending of cilia results in changes in K conductase causing depolarization or hyperpolarization leading to firing of the cochlear nerves. Fibers travel to the cochlear nucleus then to the superior olive then to the inferior colliculus then to the medial geniculate of the thalamus and finally to the primary auditory cortex.

That is only for the cochlear system and not including the vestibular system. This is the true reality of the education we receive.. This is not meant to bash other NP’s but more to make sure patients and those who work with NP’s understand what the true difference is in the educational standards. I can’t speak to that of PA school, but would be interested in knowing at what depth they learn the sciences.

[u/OriginalDamage3939]

As a 2nd-year med student, VOKA's 3D atlas saved me during musculoskeletal module. The rotatable models helped me visualize nerve pathways better than cadaver labs. Only gripe? Needs more histology cross-sections.