Nope. Sorry to disappoint you. "But I thought that . . . ." Yeah, we all did. But the study of medicine is different than the study of nursing. In fact, some of the advanced degrees in nursing probably offer more in terms of healing than a doctor can. That's not to slam doctors. They certainly are studied and trained in their field. But what exactly is a doctor trained for? What is his focus or training?
So I thought it would not hurt to know what your doctor's designation is. I was just assigned a new doctor, part of a medical group that has at least 10 different doctors. More actually. And I am not sure that all of them are doctors. While a few are MD's, I have already seen physicians or practitioners (how broad of a term can that be!!!) that come with the designation PA-C and FNP-C. So what are these?
A PA-C is a Certified Physician's Assistant.
An FNP-C stands for Certified Family Nurse Practioner.
A PN is Nurse Practioner. According to Wikipedia, the typical curriculum for a Nurse Practioner
. . . includes courses in epidemiology; health promotion; advanced pathophysiology; physical assessment and diagnostic reasoning; advanced pharmacology; laboratory/radiography diagnostics; statistics and research methods; health policy; role development and leadership; acute and chronic disease management (e.g., adults, children, women's health, geriatrics, etc.); and clinical rotations, which varies depending on the program and population focus.
There is also ANP, Advanced Nurse Practioner.
An MD is a licensed doctor.
A BSN is a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing.
An ADN is an Associate's Degree in Nursing.
An MSN is a Master's of Science in Nursing.
People who have a master’s degree in nursing have several career options. Some of those options include: teaching and becoming a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist or clinical nurse specialist. A nurse practitioner is someone who is trained to perform many of the tasks that doctors perform. Nurse anesthetists have received training in administering anesthetics. They usually work under the direction of an anesthesiologist. A clinical nurse specialist is a nurse who specializes in a certain area, such as pediatrics or cardiac care.A friend writes that the difference between a nurse and doctor is the degree of knowledge and training. And he reminds me that there is a world of difference between the study of medicine, which doctors study, and the study of nursing, which nurses study. Whereas nurses are in the practice of executing a doctor's instructions toward the best or optimal results for a patient along medicinal lines, given his medical history, age, and retrieving one's health along a plan mapped out by the doctor, the doctor's main task is akin to a quarterback calling the plays. He writes
Degree of knowledge and training. I would not expect an NP or PA to do surgery or long-term drug therapy. But I would be very comfortable with either of those doing follow-up care on that surgery or follow that drug therapy. In short, it is a way for insurance companies to pay less for medical services to have non-MD's to do day-to-day medical issues.
What's not clear to me are all of the different nursing and medical designations.
An MD stands for Doctor of Medicine. What does that mean? First, it means that he has a Ph.D. in medicine. Does that qualify him as a healer? I have my doubts.
This might be of some use to folks:
Profession Comparison Chart (updated September 2015)
Programs vary and the following represents averages for each vocation.
| Category | Medical Assistant | Nurse (RN, BSN) | Nurse Practitioner | Physician Assistant | Physician (Family Practice) |
| Prerequisite Education |
None
|
None
|
Bachelor Degree in Nursing
& clinical hours |
Bachelor Degree
& clinical hours for most |
Bachelor Degree
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Learning Model
|
-
|
Medical-Nursing
|
Medical-Nursing
|
Medical-Physician
|
Medical-Physician
|
Time in Classroom
|
134 hrs
|
Varies greatly
by program. |
500 hrs
|
1000 hrs
|
2 years
|
Time in Clinic
|
160 hrs
|
Varies greatly
by program. |
500-700 hrs
|
2000 hrs
|
2 years
|
Total Post
High School Education |
1-2 years
|
2-4 years
|
6-8 years
|
4-6 years
|
8 years
|
Residency
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
Optional
1-2 years depends on specialty |
3-8 years
|
Degree or Certification Awarded
|
Certificate or Associate Degree
|
Associate or Bachelor Degree
|
Master's Degree
Planned Transition to Doctorate by 2015 |
Physician Assistant Certified (PA-C)
Most also award Master's Degree. Some now pursuing PHD |
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) |
| Recertification |
60 education points or exam every 5 years
|
1000 hours practicing in area of certification specialty OR exam every 5 years
|
1000 professional practice hours AND ~15 CE credits/year OR exam every 5 years
|
100 education hours every 2 years
Exam every 10 years |
MD: 50 education hours every year & ABMS certification recommended
DO: 120 education hours every 3 years & ABMS certification recommended.
|
| Base Salary U.S. National Average 2010 |
$29,708
|
$66,220
|
$97,990
|
$97,280
|
$185,151
|
Duties Performed | |||||
Independent Practitioner
|
18 states allow NPs to practice independently
|
X
| |||
Complicated or High Risk Cases
|
VARIES
|
ASSIST
|
X
| ||
Perform Surgery
|
ASSIST
|
ASSIST
|
X
| ||
Deliver Babies
|
X
|
VARIES BY STATE
|
X
| ||
Write Prescriptions
|
X
|
X
|
X
| ||
Prescribe controlled substances
|
VARIES BY STATE
|
VARIES BY STATE
II-V in MOST states
|
X
| ||
Conduct Physical Exams
|
ASSIST
|
X
|
X
|
X
| |
Diagnose
|
X
|
X
|
X
| ||
Treat Illness
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
| |
Order & interpret tests
|
ASSIST
|
X
|
X
|
X
| |
Patient counseling
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
| |
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