Visiting a doctor’s office can sometimes be confusing, especially if it’s a larger group practice with many different professionals who may see you during your visit. This is particularly common in a pediatrician’s office where your child may be seen by an MD, a DO, or even a CNP or PA. What do all those titles mean and what makes them different from each other? This article will look at some of those titles to clarify what each one means and why they are trained to care for you at a time when a doctor may not be available. This article will look exclusively at those types of medical positions rather than healthcare accounts receivable or the type of medical accounts receivable factoring positions that are also part of a medical office.

There are two types of doctors or physicians who are trained to care for patients in their specific fields. The first is the MD which stands for medical doctor and this is the most common for doctors which is taken by about 90% of doctors across the country. After 4 years of college, they attend 4 years of medical school. After medical school, they enter a residency program for another 3-7 years to find the area of ​​medicine they want to focus on and focus training for that.

A DO stands for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and only makes up about 10% of our physicians. Their training is almost the same as that of a medical doctor in that they have to go through four years of medical school, followed by a residency and additional training in the musculoskeletal system which also makes up the nerves, muscles and bones of a body. person. A DO views their patients as a whole person and emphasizes preventive care on the whole body, not just on a specific symptom. The biggest difference between the two is that a DO is trained to perform osteopathic manipulations on their patients where an MD is not.

An RN stands for a registered nurse and assists the doctor in various ways with giving injections and drawing blood for further testing. However, they do not diagnose or treat a patient’s problems. An NP stands for nurse practitioner and is a registered nurse who has completed additional education and training with a minimum of a master’s degree. An NP can provide much of the same care to a patient as a doctor and can also be the patient’s primary care provider if she chooses. They help patients with common medical conditions, including chronic illnesses, and can prescribe medications and diagnose their ailments.

A PA stands for physician assistant and is licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. Their duties are to see patients and diagnose and treat them by ordering tests, assisting in surgeries, and writing prescriptions for medications. They have to go to additional medical school and training to become a PA.