At The Villages Health, our mission is to keep you healthy and heal you quickly. To do this, our care model emphasizes a relationship with your personal doctor and his or her team. Team is an important key word. It takes a team of qualified medical professionals to keep you and all members of our community feeling their best. Each of our physicians are supported by both nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
What are the qualifications of a Nurse Practitioner?
Nurse Practitioners are able to evaluate patients, diagnose illness and prescribe medications. They perform the same functions as a physician. Nurse practitioners complete graduate courses and spend hours completing supervised clinical work. While they typically do not specialize in one area, they have a comprehensive understanding of wellness, preventative care and disease management.
What are the qualifications of a Physician Assistant?
Did you know that physician assistants are licensed to diagnose illnesses and diseases? They also are able to treat these conditions and prescribe medication. Physician Assistants complete 4 years of undergraduate school and then have to enroll in a Physician Assistance program, which is about 2 years of additional schooling.
If you need to be seen right away and your doctor is unavailable, his or her nurse practitioner or physician assistant may take care of you. He or she has full access to your medical history and can provide the personal care you are accustomed to receiving from your doctor.
Please know that we always have someone qualified to take care of you, whether that is a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or physician. We work together as a team to keep you healthy and heal you quickly. Please remember to call us first.