The hospital is a busy place. There are many employees, patients, and visitors running around. Even though everyone generally has a I.D. badge, it can be difficult to tell what they actually do. Especially if you’re a patient, and inevitably some annoying person is waking you up at 3 am asking if you know where you are and what day it is, again. So here’s a cheat sheet for the most common medical titles you’ll see on hospital name badges.
- MD
- Medical Doctor aka “physician”
- The Sherlock Holmes of the hospital. 🕵️♂️ The doctor spends the day analyzing your symptoms to deduce a diagnosis. Once they solve the puzzle, they prescribe treatment accordingly.
- Specializes in one of many possible areas of medicine (heart doctor, brain doctor, surgeon, etc.).
- DO
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine aka “physician”
- A Medical Doctor who stayed after school for extra credit learning how to physically manipulate your bones and muscles as an alternative to medication.
- Example: Instead of just giving you a pill for that headache, they may also adjust your neck to help relieve the pain.
- Also specialize in a specific area of medicine, just like an MD.
- Additionally, a DO is not the same thing as a chiropractor. A chiropractor has a doctorate degree; however, they cannot prescribe medication or perform surgery like DOs (or MDs). Also, chiropractors don’t work in the hospital, which is the focus of this post.
MD and DO are essentially the same thing. Both are medical doctors fully trained in modern medicine.
- Resident (may be designated as Resident Physician)
- Doctor (MD/DO) who has graduated medical school but is an apprentice to an older, more experienced doctor for a few years.
- The name pretty much sums it up. They basically live at the hospital for the duration of their residency. 🍽 💤🛁 🏠 Residencies are anywhere from 4 to 7 years long and the doctors often work 80+ hours a week. 😳 Breaking 100 hours is definitely not unheard of but most programs are trying to crack down on that these days for obvious safety concerns all around.
- You may hear their supervising doctor referred to as “The Attending.”
- PA-C
- Physician Assistant (The “C” is for “certified”)
- The clones of the hospital. 🧪🔬🧫 👨⚕️ Basically, imagine your doctor replicated themselves so they could be in two places at once.
- They do a lot of the same things doctors do, but are not doctors.
- PAs practice medicine on a team with and under the supervision of a physician. They have their own individual license to practice medicine and what they can and can’t do is basically limited to location (US state) and the individual supervisory agreement between the doctor and PA.
- Know that if you see a PA running around doing stuff, there’s a doctor somewhere that’s also aware of what’s going on. 👍
- And because I always get this question; yes, a PA can write (and sign) prescriptions.
- NP (May also appear as APRN, FNP, DNP)
- Nurse Practitioner
- Very similar to a physician assistant (PA-C, see above) but went to a different school. Specifically, was a nurse (RN, see below) before going to nurse practitioner school. Also, just like PAs, NPs are not doctors.
- There are some technical differences and nuances between the PAs and NPs but this is meant to be a quick reference guide, so we will move on for now. 👍
- Also, just like PAs (and doctors), NPs can prescribe medications.
- Think of mayonnaise and Miracle Whip (PA-C vs NP); they are made differently but do the same thing.
For the record, I like both Miracle Whip and mayo. I consider them interchangeable.……deal with it. 😂
Quick side note: PAs and NPs are not working to become doctors one day. They are completely separate careers. So do not ask them when they are going to finish school and be a doctor. They have intentionally chosen NOT to be a doctor. Feel free to ask them why they made that decision though; that’s a great question!
- Medical Student, PA student, NP student
- Clinician in training (to be a doctor, PA-C, or NP)
- Can be identified by their goofy short white coat.
- The preteens of the hospital. 🤦♂️ May ask you funny questions and be generally awkward. They are still figuring out what to do with the new “tools” they’ve been given. Have patience and entertain them.
- RN
- Registered Nurse
- Supervises and ensures your care under the doctor’s or PA/NP’s direction.
- Makes medical decisions concerning your care within certain parameters.
- The infantry of the hospital and masters of multitasking. Nurses are the frontlines of patient care and the foundation of the hospital staff. 💪💪💪 This includes LPNs (below) as well.
- LPN or LVN
- Licensed Practical Nurse or Licensed Vocational Nurse
- A nurse with less formal education than an RN (see above).
- Generally, is supervised by an RN (see above) and specializes in the basic duties of nursing care.
Nurses are the most likely staff to invest in you emotionally. They do not take this role lightly. You mean a lot to them and they work hard to see that they mean a lot to you. Unfortunately, this also means nurses are the most likely to be abused or harmed by patients. Treat your nurses kindly and respectfully. You never know what terrible things they’ve just had to deal with just moments before they walked into your room.
- CNA
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- The most hospitable people in the hospital. They assist the nurses and work very hard to meet your most basic needs when you’re sick.
- As the unsung heroes to the hospital staff, CNAs help ensure your needs are met, no matter how messy and/or smelly it gets. 💩
- EMT or Paramedic
- Emergency Medical Technician
- The adrenaline junkies of the hospital. 🌪🚑 They specialize in getting you out of whatever crazy predicament you are in and to the hospital.
- You’re actually most likely to encounter them outside the hospital, but occasionally you’ll see a rogue team wheeling a stretcher down the hall looking to scoop someone up when they least expect it. 😝They have a short attention span and little tolerance for your drama. Although rough around the edges, they are obsessed with your safety, fixing problems quickly, and getting you to the help you need as soon as possible.
- PBT or Phlebotomist
- PBT = Phlebotomy Technichian
- Responsible for collecting your blood and obtaining other specimens needed for the lab to run the test your doctor ordered.
- The vampires of the hospital. 🧛♂️ They often seem nocturnal, and you can bet they will be back for more blood tomorrow, before the sun rises…
- They don’t respond to silver bullets or wooden crosses. It works out best for everyone if you just surrender to them.
- DPT or PTA
- Doctor of Physical Therapy or Physical Therapy Assistant
- The gym rats and personal trainers of the hospital. 🏋️♂️ They work with and assist you in regaining strength and mobility after an injury or surgery. Get those gains, bro. 💪
- You will want to hate them. They’re always a bit too excited to have you navigate the obstacle course they created for you. Trust and cooperate with them, though; they really are there to help you get better. One small step at a time.
- OT or OTA
- Occupational Therapist or Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Similar to physical therapists (see above), except they focus specifically on helping you achieve everyday tasks such as getting dressed, using the restroom, or opening that jar of pickles.
- If a physical therapist wants to help you get stronger, an occupational therapist wants to show you how to use that strength effectively.
- Pharm D
- Pharmacist
- The drug dealers of the hospital, but they’re legit. 💊👍
- They get nerdy about drugs, and your doctor often consults their expertise to make sure you are on the best combination of medicine to get you better.
- RD or RDN
- Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
- The foodies of the hospital. 🍽👨🍳
- They are there to make sure you get the nutrition you need during your visit. (Notice I said “need” and not “want.”)
- A dietitian is not the person who comes and asks you what you want for breakfast/lunch/supper everyday. That is a member of the food service team. Dietitians are nutritional experts specifically brought on board to analyze your nutritional status in detail and develop plans accordingly, often in cases of malnutrition or in order to avoid malnutrition. This can get complicated depending on a lot of various factors so we rely on dietitians to help ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need! Even if you can’t physically eat. 😕
- CRT or RRT
- Certified or Registered Respiratory Therapist
- The chimney sweeps of the hospital. 🧹😷 If your windpipe needs cleaning, they can help with that. In fact, they can help you breathe better no matter how big or small your breathing problem is.
- Respiratory therapist are experts in making sure your breathing is in tip top shape at all times!
- Their job can be pretty gross as they deal with A LOT of snot and mucus. 🤢
- CRNA
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
- The hypnotist of the hospital. 😴🛏 A nurse that specializes in putting you to sleep and, most importantly, waking you back up!
- Works closely with and is supervised by an Anesthesiologist, a specialized doctor who would rather just put you to sleep than deal with your small talk.
- Patient Transport
- The taxi drivers of the hospital. 🚕🙋♂️ Except you don’t get to pick the destination.
- A hospital can be a huge maze. They know the quickest way to get you from point A to B.
- CEO
- Chief Executive Officer
- The mythical yeti of the hospital. 😶 Rarely sighted, and if you were to encounter one you’re not quite sure if it would be exciting or terrible.
- If you see one, the best thing to do is to tell them every single person who’s been involved in your care was absolutely amazing and should get a raise.
- Spotting tip: They WILL NOT be in scrubs like everyone else. And they rarely travel alone; almost always traveling with a posse of similarly important-looking people.
I hope this list is at least somewhat helpful to you as you navigate the whirlwind that a hospital visit can be. There’s plenty more that could be added to this list, as the hospital employs a lot of different types of people. However, I tried to keep it to the most common clinical staff you will encounter. Have any questions about anyone not on this list? Feel free to let me know! I may even update the list from time to time. 😉
Learn more, stay humble.
