Profession and gender in relationships between advanced practice nurses and physicians

Relationships between registered nurses and physicians have often been described in terms of two models: one based on interactions between two health professions and one based on the patriarchy of male physicians and the deference of female nurses. To evaluate nurses' perceptions of the two models, 125 advanced practice nurses at a statewide professional conference completed a closed-ended self-administered questionnaire that asked about their relations with male and female physicians. Nurses rated male and female physicians very similarly; both groups were rated most favorably on their confidence in the nurse's expertise and least favorably on their recognition of the nurse's responsibilities unrelated to the care of individual patients. Nurses rated female physicians under the age of 50 more favorably than older female physicians and rated male physicians of all ages similarly. These findings provide greater support for the professional than for the gender model of nurse-physician relations.