Physician Assistants & Nurse Practitioners
The OSS Health Network has an amazing team of physician assistants (referred to as PAs) and nurse practitioners (referred to as NPs) so we can provide the best outcomes and experience for you.
Our PAs and NP evaluate and treat more orthopaedic patients in a year than all the local urgent cares and emergency rooms combined. Hence, they are more experienced in the management of orthopaedic conditions than many non-orthopaedic medical doctors. Learn more about the role and the training.
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Role of a PA / NP
1) Diagnosing and treating a patient for basic to intermediate musculoskeletal injuries and pain. This is particularly the case with our orthopaedic urgent services, OUCH! (our urgent access to orthopaedic care), surgery prescreening or after-surgery follow up care.
All of our doctors work with physician assistants (referred to as PAs) and nurse practitioners (referred to as NPs) in order to provide the best possible care for their patients. PAs and NPs are an integral part of our orthopaedic team, as they help to treat and diagnose patients in our office and in the hospital.
This team assists our orthopaedic doctors in performing surgeries and with these responsibilities:
- Recording patients' medical history
- Performing physical exams
- Performing and ordering tests
- Educating patients on musculoskeletal health
- Administering injections to minimize joint pain
- Prescribing medications
2) Routinely assisting the orthopaedic doctors in performing surgeries
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Training of a PA / NP
To become a PA or an NP, one needs to complete six years of combined undergraduate and graduate education. Some complete an additional year of training to specialize in a specific area of medicine. After their training, PAs and NPs must pass a board certification exam prior to entering a practice. They also carry their own malpractice insurance as well as their own license to prescribe medications.
Our PAs and NPs have trained on the intricacies of musculoskeletal health for many years. They are highly skilled professionals who exercise autonomy in diagnosing and treating illnesses the same as their physician counterparts. They evaluate and treat more orthopaedic patients in a year than many local urgent cares and emergency rooms combined. Hence, they are more experienced in the management of orthopaedic conditions than many non-orthopedic medical doctors.