Kidney care beyond our borders

Whether it is the heartland of America or a remote village in a developing country, one overriding theme to providing care for kidney patients is person power--or the lack of it. In the developed countries, notably the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Europe, medical schools prepare advanced practitioners who can then fill the gap left by the lack of nephrologists. However in areas where physicians are in short supply, nurses often have only basic training and trained APs are not available. In the meantime, kidney disease is taking its toll on the best and the brightest.