Find Your Healthcare Professional
WSMC employs a variety of healthcare professionals, also known as providers, to meet your medical needs. A provider is an individual who provides preventive, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services. While commonly referred to as a doctor, not all providers are actually MDs. Below is a handy reference to help explain common titles to learn more about your healthcare professional. Learn more about providers WSMC's providers.
Medical Assistant (MA): A medical assistant is a healthcare provider who is a graduate of a technical school program. Medical assistants conduct clinical tasks that help the medical office run smoothly.
Registered Nurse (RN): Registered nurses have graduated from an accredited school of nursing, have passed a state board examination, and are licensed by the state.
Nurse Practitioner (NP or FNP): A nurse practitioner has a graduate degree in advanced practice nursing. The NP is allowed to provide a broad range of health care services, comparable to that of a primary care doctor.
Physician Assistant (PA): A physician assistant has graduated from an accredited program after satisfying rigorous pre-requisites. PAs practice in a variety of settings in nearly every medical and surgical specialty area. The PA is allowed to provide a broad range of health care services, comparable to that of a primary care doctor.
Physician (MD): A physician is a healthcare provider who has completed four years of medical school after college. After medical school, a physician spends a minimum of three years in a residency program specializing in a specific field of medicine, during which time he or she gains experience treating patients while under supervision of more experienced physicians.
Doctor of Osteopathy (DO): A Doctor of Ostepoathy is a healthcare provider who has completed four years of medical school after college. A DO is licensed to practice medicine in the same was as a MD. The difference between an MD and DO is that DOs generally study medicine focused on primary care with a "whole person" approach to medicine. Also, DOs have additional training on the body's musculoskeletal system.
Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS): A Doctor of Dental Surgery is a healthcare provider who has completed four years of dental school after college and has passed a licensing exam.
