Physician Extenders - What are they?

You've heard the saying, 'it takes a village....' At Texas Orthopedics, we believe it takes a qualified team to ensure you get the best quality orthopedic care. In order to accommodate patients in a timely manner, many of our physicians utilize physician extenders in their practice.

Physician extenders are healthcare professionals with advanced degrees and medical training that help provide quality and personalized healthcare for our patients. They examine and evaluate patients, order tests, diagnose, develop treatment plans and write prescriptions under the supervision of our physicians. While you'll always see a physician on your first visit, you may also see other members of our medical team on subsequent visits.

Here's our 'team lineup' and a description of their qualifications so you know exactly what kind of care you're receiving and from whom:

Physician Assistant (PA): medical professional who is nationally certified and state-licensed to practice medicine. All PAs are graduates of an accredited PA educational program.

Nurse Practitioner (NP)/Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)/Advanced Practice (APN): a registered nurse who has completed a master's doctoral degree program. APNs are board certified and state-licensed.

Texas Orthopedics physician extenders can do the following in the office:

• Physical examinations, orthopaedic evaluations
• Develop patients' treatment plans with physicians
• Order and interpret diagnostic tests such as x-rays
• Prescribe medications and therapies
• Preoperative exams, consultations and histories 
• Postoperative exams
• Injections

Physician assistants and advanced practice nurses with a surgical assist certification can also provide surgical assistance, including wound closures, dressings, graft preparation and instrumentation insertions. They will also do inpatient hospital rounds, visiting surgery patients while in the hospital. Texas Orthopedics physician extenders participate in patient care in both the clinical office and hospital settings.

Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Hand Therapist: Our hands-on physical therapists, occupational therapists, and hand therapists perform comprehensive evaluations and develop treatment plans specific to each patients' goals. The therapist use many methods to help our patients achieve their goals, such as therapeutic exercise, modalities, and manual techniques. 

Texas Orthopedics is committed to giving patients the highest quality of care with a skilled, comprehensive medical team. 

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