The doctor will see you now: A review of who's who at your doctor's office

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Gone are the days of your youth, when you visited one doctor for all your medical needs. Medical professionals are learning more every day, and as a result, you're likely to see a handful of professionals, each one trained in a specific area.

The good news is, with the introduction of electronic medical records, each professional within a health-care system can access your records, so you don't have to answer the same questions for each person you see. Physicians can even visit patients in nursing homes and update their records electronically, so it's almost as if you did make a trip to the office -- even though you stayed in the comfort of your room and your fuzzy slippers.

"The intention is to provide quick, immediate, excellent patient care," says Sunil Mungee, director of physician practices, Saint Francis Medical Partners.

Having professionals trained in specific areas also ensures each person is something of an expert in his or her area.

"We're making sure we have the right sort of team to do the job assigned to them," Mungee says.

That being said, Mungee says the terminology attached to these job roles can be confusing to patients. Here's a look at who's who in your typical medical office:

Physician

You probably already know your doctor or physician -- he or she is the leader of the medical practice and the one who examines patients, performs procedures and writes prescriptions. Physicians can be broken down into primary care providers -- internal and family medicine physicians -- and specialty care providers, such as cardiologists (heart doctors), pulmonologists (lung doctors), oncologists (cancer doctors) and so on. They're all physicians, but have been trained in different specialties.

Physician assistant

Physician assistants, or PAs, practice under a physician's direction.

Nurse practitioner

Nurse practitioners can do much of the same work as physicians, and often work alongside them in a primary care setting.

Nurses

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) commonly work in medical offices, and what they do depends on their level of training. You probably see them before your doctor, as they weigh patients, take blood pressure and so on, and they may answer your medical questions over the phone.

Medical assistant

Medical assistants have not received as much training as an RN or LPN. They are present to support or assist the physician during exams.

Technicians

Technicians are trained to perform medical tests in various areas, from taking X-rays to performing ultrasounds and lab work.

Sources: Sunil Mungee, director of physician practices, Saint Francis Medical Partners; and the Center for Advancing Health, www.cfah.org.