Links:
- Center for Disease Control
- Web MD
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Academy of Family Physicians
Definitions:
- ANP-BC: Adult Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified
- AGNP: Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
- Au.D: Doctor of Audiology
- CFNP: Certified Family Nurse Practitioner
- CNM: Certified Nurse Midwife
A licensed healthcare provider who provides primary health care to women of childbearing age including: prenatal care, labor and delivery care, care after birth, gynecological exams, newborn care, assistance with family planning decisions, preconception care, menopausal management and counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention. - CPNP: Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- CRNP: Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner
- DO: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
A fully-trained physician who focuses on the “whole person” with emphasis on the osteopathic manipulative treatment of the musculoskeletal system to encourage your body’s natural tendency toward good health. - DPM: Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (commonly called a Podiatrist)
- DPT: Doctor of Physical Therapy
- FNP-BC: Adult Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified
- MD: Doctor of Medicine
- MSPT: Master of Physical Therapy
- NP: Nurse Practitioner
A registered nurse who has advanced academic and clinical training in a healthcare specialty. In Virginia, NPs are licensed and certified to practice without the direct supervision of a licensed physician, and have prescriptive authority. - Ophthalmologist: abbreviated as Eye MD, medical or osteopathic doctor who specializes in eye and vision care.
- OD: Doctor of Optometry
A provider of primary vision care ranging from sight testing and correction to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of vision changes. - PA-C: Physician’s Assistant, certified by the National Commission of Certifications of Pas,
A healthcare professional who, in the state of Virginia, is licensed to practice medicine under physician supervision and can write prescriptions. - PT: Physical Therapist
- PTA: Physical Therapist Assistant
- WHNP: Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
** LMG providers are guided by regulations for the State of Virginia. Regulations and guidelines may vary by state and practice.
Specialties
Acupuncture – the practice of inserting very fine needles into the skin to stimulate specific anatomic points in the body (called acupoints) for therapeutic purposes. Along with the usual method of puncturing the skin with the fine needles, the practitioners also use heat, pressure, friction, suction, or impulses of electromagnetic energy to stimulate the points. The acupoints are stimulated to balance the movement of energy (qi) in the body to restore health.
Electrodiagnostic Medicine – the medical subspecialty that applies neurophysiologic techniques to diagnose, evaluate, and treat patients with impairments of the neurologic, neuromuscular, and/or muscular systems.
Family Medicine – the medical practice which provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and the family – encompassing all ages, sexes, each organ system and every disease entity.
General Surgery – the treatment of injury, deformity, and disease using operative procedures.
Gynecology – the branch of medicine that deals with the diseases and routine physical care of the reproductive system of women
Immediate Care – a medical service that offers care for minor emergencies and outpatient medical needs for the entire family.
Integrative Medicine – a whole body approach to health and well-being. Dermatology – the medical specialty concerned with health and treatment of the skin.
Internal Medicine – the practice of medicine concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and general health care of adults, including those with general illness, disease and injury.
Midwifery – a branch of women’s healthcare that emphasizes health promotion, education, and disease prevention. Care-giving by a midwife includes preconception counseling, care during pregnancy and childbirth, normal gynecological services, and care of the peri- and post-menopausal woman.
Obstetrics – the branch of medicine that facilitates the process and cares for the mother during childbirth.
Occupational Medicine – the provision of special screening examinations for employment, whether performed periodically during or before employment, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of job-related illness or injury.
Pain Management – a medical approach that draws on disciplines in science and alternative healing to study the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pain.
Pediatrics – the practice of medicine centered around the treatment and care of infants, children and young adults.
Pediatric Gastroenterology – a medical specialty dedicated to the treatment of the digestive system, liver or nutritional problems in infants, children and teens.
Physical Medicine – the medical specialty that employs medical tools, as well as physical agents and therapeutic exercise, in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that produce pain, impairment and disability.
Public Health – the medical science directed at improving and maintaining the health of all people around the world. This may involve the prevention and diagnosis of communicable or tropical diseases, as well as environmentally-caused diseases, such as those linked to toxins, malnutrition and parasites.
Radiation-Oncology – a branch of medicine specializing in the treatment of cancer with radiation.
Urology – the diagnosis, treatment and surgery of problems relating to the genitourinary system. These problems include urologic cancers (including prostate cancer), impotence, urinary tract infection, kidney stones, male infertility, and urinary incontinence.
