What is an MD, DO, FNP, & PA?
What is a Primary Care Physician?
Primary care is that care provided by physicians
specifically trained for and skilled in comprehensive first contact
and continuing care for persons with any undiagnosed sign, symptom,
or health concern (the "undifferentiated" patient) not limited by
problem origin (biological, behavioral, or social), organ system, or
diagnosis.
Primary care includes health promotion, disease
prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education,
diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety
of health care settings (e.g., office, inpatient, critical care,
long-term care, home care, day care, etc.). Primary care is
performed and managed by a personal physician often collaborating
with other health professionals, and utilizing consultation or
referral as appropriate.
Primary care provides patient advocacy in the
health care system to accomplish cost-effective care by coordination
of health care services. Primary care promotes effective
communication with patients and encourages the role of the patient
as a partner in health care.
What is a DO?
D.O.'s are osteopathic Physicians who are fully educated and
licensed to practice all aspects of medicine. Osteopathic
Physicians are certified to specialize in family medicine,
obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine, and
all of the other medical specialties and subspecialties.
D.O.'s treat patients and prescribe medicine in offices and
hospitals across the country and in the U.S. armed services.
They provide disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
strategies to you and your family through all of life's stages, from
infancy to end of life.
D.O.'s hold the following principles as central to their practice
of medicine:
- You are a person who is
a unification of body, mind, and spirit.
- Your body, when properly
treated and maintained, is capable of self-regulation,
self-maintenance, and self-healing.
- If all of the parts of
your body are functioning optimally you will maintain the
highest possible level of health.
D.O.'s treat you, the whole person, not just a disease or
symptoms
What is an Internist?
Doctors of internal medicine, often called "internists," focus
on adult medicine. They care for their patients for life—from
the teen years through old age. Internists have had special study
and training that focuses on the prevention and treatment of adult
diseases. At least three of their seven or more years of medical
school and postgraduate training are dedicated to learning how
to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases that affect adults. Internists
are sometimes referred to as the "doctor's doctor," because
they are often called upon to act as consultants to other physicians
to help solve puzzling diagnostic problems.
An internist, just like a family practice or general practice
doctor, can serve as your primary care doctor. But internists are
unique because they focus on adult medicine. Internists don't deliver
babies, they don't treat children, and they don't do surgery. They
do, however, have wide-ranging knowledge of complex diseases that
affect adults. With in-depth training in adult medicine, an internist
may be your best choice to help you navigate the increasingly complex
world of medical care.
What is an Nurse Practitioner?
A nurse
practitioner (NP) is a nurse with a graduate degree in advanced
practice nursing. This allows him or her to provide a broad range of
health care services, including:
- Taking the patient's history, performing a
physical exam, and ordering appropriate laboratory tests and
procedures
- Diagnosing, treating, and managing acute and
chronic diseases
- Providing prescriptions and coordinating
referrals
- Promoting healthy activities in collaboration
with the patient
Nurse practitioner
specialties include family practice, women's health, pediatrics,
geriatric, neonatology, school health, emergency, oncology and
primary care.
Some nurse
practitioners work in clinics without physician supervision, and others work together with
physicians as a joint health care team. Their scope of practice and
authority depends on state laws. For example, some states allow
nurse practitioners to write prescriptions, while other states do
not.
What is a Physician Assistant (PA)?
Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed to
practice medicine with physician supervision. As part of their
comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose
and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive
health care, assist in surgery, and in most states, including North
Carolina, can write prescriptions.
Because of the close working relationship the PAs have with physicians,
PAs are educated in the medical model designed to complement physician
training. Upon graduation, physician assistants take a national
certification examination developed by the National Commission
on Certification of PAs in conjunction with the National Board
of Medical Examiners.
To maintain their national certification, PAs must log 100 hours
of continuing medical education every two years and sit for a recertification
every six years. Graduation from an accredited physician assistant
program and passage of the national certifying exam are required
for state licensure.
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