found out where my PCP went

I hope this turns out to be a positive thing for you.  I know that when I was seeing a medical oncologist, I saw the NP every other time.  I MUCH preferred the NP to the oncologist.  There was much more attention paid to all of me...not just to some tumor markers in a blood test.

I have had very good experiences with NPs in the past. I hope you find someone who is a good fit for you, Kelly. 

My last two PCMs have been NPs.  I am much more comfortable with a female physician and both NPs have been proactive in my care.  They've referred me to a specialist when I've needed one much quicker than my Drs did. 

I'm lucky that with my insurance I do not need a referral to see a specialist.  My last PCP was very proactive in my care, though, and I'm sure she would have referred me to a specialist if I'd asked.  Actually, in a couple of instances, she asked if I wanted her to refer me to a specialist, but she and I agreed together that in those situation, we would wait and see what happened before taking that step and it ended up being unnecessary.  But she always present me with my options and let me make the decisions about how to proceed.

I'm feeling good about the NP and I'm very glad the nurse I spoke with suggested her.  It hadn't occurred to me that I might have better luck finding the type of care I want with an NP but now that I'm thinking about it, it makes sense.  And I'm glad I thought to ask the nurse to recommend a provider and told her what I was looking for instead of just saying I'd take whatever doc had room in their schedule.