Physician assistants operate under a doctor's supervision but share many of the same patient care responsibilities, including performing physical exams, diagnosing diseases, ordering treatments, coordinating patient care, prescribing medication, conducting clinical research, first assisting in surgery and more.

Nurse practitioners operate both collaboratively and independently from a physician to provide primary, acute and specialty health care services to patients of all ages in a wide variety of settings. Advance practice providers include both physician assistants and nurse practitioners.