What do the designations PA, MD, DO and FNP mean?
PA, or Physician Assistant, is a health care professional 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 virtually all states can write prescriptions. Within the physician–PA relationship, physican assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. A PA’s practice may also include education, research and administrative sevices.
PA, or Physician Assistant, is a health care professional licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PA’s conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery and in virtually all states can write prescriptions. Within the physician-PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. A PA’s practice may also include education, research and administrative services. MD, or Doctor of Medicine, is one of the physician designations (like DO) that identifies a physician who has completed medical school and appropriate advanced training. MDs complete four years of medical school and at least three additional years of residency training and then may be certified as specialists in such fields as family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics a
