The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Nurse practitioners are rushing in to fill the gaps in US health care

You need a primary care appointment. Should you see an MD — or NP?

Have you ever caught yourself squinting at the acronyms next to your health care provider’s name? MD, DO, NP, PA…

The medical workforce has changed. While the United States has long faced a doctor (MD or DO) shortage, there are now more nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) than ever before. More states are giving them a broad license to perform medical services on their own. A PA could prescribe you medication during a hospital stay. An NP could set up their own clinic in your area and run it like the family doctors of the last century.

If you’re looking for a primary care appointment, but have limited options (as many of us do), you may find more appointments with an NP next to the name than an MD. Or you might find an NP running the minute clinic at your local pharmacy.

Sign up for the Good Medicine newsletter

Our political wellness landscape has shifted: new leaders, shady science, contradictory advice, broken trust, and overwhelming systems. How is anyone supposed to make sense of it all? Vox’s senior correspondent Dylan Scott has been on the health beat for a long time, and every week, he’ll wade into sticky debates, answer fair questions, and contextualize what’s happening in American health care policy. Sign up here.

What do all these letters mean? How should people think about these different credentials in different contexts? These are questions with major implications for both the US health system as a whole, and for each individual seeking care. Here’s what you need to know.

The acronyms, explained

Though the rules can differ depending on where you live, here are the broad strokes of what these different certifications mean:

MDs (medical doctors) and DOs (doctors of osteopathic medicine): These are the positions that we’d commonly call “doctor.” They get an undergraduate degree, attend medical school, and then go through several years of residency under the supervision of more experienced physicians. DOs have historically placed an emphasis on a “holistic” approach to treating their patients, but as medicine overall has trended in that direction, there is less of a difference in practice between these two........

© Vox