The contemporary health-care system is confusing, to say the least. With many types of physicians, mid-level care providers and alternative-medicine providers, it can be challenging knowing who the best person is to seek out for your health-care needs and preferences. Here are the four different types of health-care providers that are common in the United States so you can make an informed decision on who to go see when “an apple a day” doesn’t cut it.
Allopathic Physicians
These are the most well-known type of health-care providers. These physicians receive a bachelor’s degree and then attend medical school, where they pursue and receive a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. After medical school, MDs do a residency, which is a form of mandatory on-the-job training in a chosen medical specialty that can take two to five years (or longer).
These physicians can write prescriptions and perform medical procedures and interpret laboratory tests and medical imaging. They can also refer you to other specialists based on your needs. MDs are the people that most think of when they think “doctor.”
Osteopathic Physicians
In short, osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians deliver the exact same level of care and receive the same amount of education. Like MDs, osteopathic physicians get a bachelor’s degree and then attend medical school.
As far as how they deliver care, the differences in training for MDs and for osteopathic physicians are negligible.
Osteopathic physicians attend medical schools that award a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Like their MD counterparts, DOs attend residency after medical school. DOs can (and do) practice in all medical specialties. DOs practice family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry and anesthesiology, among others.
DOs use a holistic approach in caring for patients. In the words of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA): osteopathic physicians believe there’s more to good health than the absence of pain or disease. While MDs often hone in on the disease itself and how to treat it, osteopathic physicians focus on both the disease and the person afflicted with the disease.
They also may use a technique called Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, or OMT. This treatment is based in holistic medical practice.
Nurse Practitioners
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are one of two types of mid-level practitioners that are commonly seen in health care. Nurse practitioners are nurses first. That is, they start their careers as registered nurses (RNs). To become a nurse practitioner, individuals must be an RN, have experience as a nurse and possess a bachelor’s degree. Then, they get a master’s degree that provides training on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. They are called mid-level practitioners because they need a master’s degree to practice, rather than a doctoral degree.
A lot of nurse practitioners, however, go on to obtain doctoral degrees as well — either a PhD in nursing or a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) — to expand their knowledge and provide even better care for their patients. Nurse practitioners are taught to leverage their experience and education as RNs in their role as NPs. This means that they treat the mind, body and spirit as they learned to do as RNs. In general terms, nurse practitioners carry out the same duties as a physician. They can diagnose disease, prescribe medications, interpret medical tests and refer you to a specialist as needed.
Physician Assistants
Tread carefully with that title. It is decisively Physician Assistant (PA), not Physician’s Assistant. PAs are mid-level practitioners with extensive training on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. They hold a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. To get into PA programs, people need to have a bachelor’s degree and are often required to have extensive experience with direct patient care. Most PA programs require 1,000-2,000 hours of direct patient care
experience before someone’s application will be considered. Those who go to PA school start their careers as paramedics, respiratory therapists, nurses or in a variety of other health care professions. This allows them to gain a wide breadth of knowledge before becoming a PA.
In most states, PAs must practice with an overseeing physician. This does not mean that a PA must have a physician standing over their shoulder when caring for a patient. Instead, a PA must have a physician working within the same organization that is available for consultation and insight if needed. Even in the states that mandate physician supervision, PAs can independently interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications and diagnose disease without having to directly consult a physician.
A Note on Homeopathic/Naturopathic Health Care
While a full discussion of the merits and drawbacks of homeopathic and naturopathic health care is beyond the scope of this article, some points are worth mentioning.
- Naturopathic and homeopathic medicine is based in natural healing and reducing reliance on modern medicine.
- Homeopathic/naturopathic physicians and homeopathic/naturopathic healers are very different. All physicians attend medical school, including homeopathic and naturopathic physicians. Healers can only offer recommendations, and do not have the intensive training of physicians to diagnose and treat disease.
- Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are physicians that attend a naturopathic medical school and can do some things similarly to MDs and DOs. They offer natural or alternative remedies but often cannot prescribe the same medications as an MD, NP, PA or DO.
- Naturopathic physicians have a lot of formal education. They can provide competent, informed, naturally based health care if that is your preference. But be cautious, as some people claim to be naturopaths, homeopaths or homeopathic healers even though they do not have the same rigorous training and education standards as NDs, MDs, DOs, PAs or NPs.
What Does This All Mean For Me?
There is no shortage of types of professionals who can diagnose and treat disease in modern health care. They can offer a wide variety of services, and all have extensive knowledge in biomedical science and modern treatment
approaches. If you are seeking out primary care or preventative care, you will find an educated and informed person to offer this service to you with any of the types of health-care provider. Seek out a health-care provider that meshes well with your own personality and can provide the services you need.
It can be overwhelming with so many options for the consumer in the modern health-care system. But modern regulation and education standards guarantee that if you seek out a health-care provider with the proper credentials, you will be receiving competent and well-informed care that can help you become a healthier you.
