What type of health care providers work at Health Services?
The Health Services has a variety of health care providers. They include:
Medical Providers
(At Health Services, we use the term medical clinicians to refer to both our physicians and nurse practitioners.)
- Physicians/Doctors: A physician/doctor is someone licensed to practice medicine. Our physicians provide primary health care, and can diagnosis and treat illnesses. Physicians can have various areas of specialized training. Here at Health Services, we have physicians who have training in gynecology, internal medicine, general medicine and osteopathy.
- Nurse Practitioners: A nurse practitioner is a nurse with advanced training. Nurse practitioners’ education and experience enables them to diagnose and manage common acute and chronic illnesses, do screenings, diagnostic testing and prescribe medications. A nurse practitioner focuses on wellness and prevention and provides continuous and comprehensive health care which includes the coordination of all services necessary for the prevention and treatment of disease and disability. Nurse Practitioners at Health Services are certified and licensed as Advance Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNP) in the state of New Hampshire.
Clinical Support Staff
- Registered Nurses: A registered nurse (RN) has graduated from a two or four-year program of nursing and is trained to assess, evaluate, but not treat medical problems. The focus of a registered nurse is to educate patients concerning their illnesses. A registered nurse can administer injections, perform a variety of diagnostic tests, care for wounds and assist medical clinicians.
- Triage Nurses: A triage nurse is usually a registered nurse who has had additional experience in assessment skills. She/he is trained to prioritize patients (based on severity of illness/injury), who call or come in to the Health Service for care. After assessment, the triage nurse either gives advice regarding how to care for oneself or will make an appointment for a patient to see a medical clinician, depending on the severity or urgency of the problem.
- Licensed Practical Nurses: A licensed practical nurse (LPN) has graduated from an accredited practical nursing program and works under the direction of a registered nurse, nurse practitioner and/or physician. She/he is trained to assess, evaluate, educate and assist in patient care. She/he can also administer injections and perform a variety of procedures and diagnostic tests.
- Medical Assistants: A medical assistant completes a two-year training program, and is trained to assist medical clinicians in basic tasks. A medical assistant is not trained to give medical advice, but can follow orders given by a medical clinician such as giving injections, taking vital signs, performing certain diagnostic tests.
- Pharmacists: A pharmacist is trained and licensed to prepare and dispense drugs and medicine. A registered pharmacist (R.Ph.) is a health professional who has earned a degree in pharmacy from an accredited college or university and who holds a license to practice pharmacy. The pharmacist will process, fill, and dispense a prescription medication written by a health care provider. The pharmacist will also counsel a patient about the use and potential side effects of prescription and non-prescription (over-the-counter) medications.
- Pharmacy Technician: A pharmacy technician must be registered with the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy. A pharmacy technician’s duties include any pharmaceutical task assigned by, and supervised by a licensed pharmacist. The technician answers the phone, checks patients in and performs cashier duties. They are also responsible for checking in the pharmacy order and reconciling the inventory.
- Laboratory Technologists: A medical laboratory technologist holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Certification from a national credentialing agency and performs diagnostic analytic tests on human blood and body fluids. The medical laboratory technologist provides information from laboratory analyses that assist in patient diagnosis and treatment, as well as, disease monitoring and prevention.
- Radiologic Technologists: A radiologic technologist is trained to take x-rays to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and injuries.
Office of Health Education and Promotion Staff:
- Community Health Nurse: The community health nurse is a registered nurse who assists students with the overall management of chronic health problems such as diabetes, asthma, crohns, cancer, etc. This nurse also works with students to resolve academic issues arising from illness, hospitalization or health (medical or psychological) withdrawal.
- Nutrition Counselor: The nutrition counselor is a registered dietitian with expertise in food, nutrition and eating disorders. In the U.S., dietitians are registered with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and are only able to use the label "dietitian" when they have met strict, specific educational and experiential prerequisites and passed a national registration examination.
- Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Educator/Counselors: The alcohol, tobacco and other drug educator/counselors provide education on campus and meet with students individually to discuss concerns about one’s own or another’s use of alcohol and/or other drugs. These counselors are also available to work with those who want to quit smoking or using tobacco products.
- Wellness Educator/Counselors: The wellness educator/counselors provide education on campus and are available to meet individually with students to discuss concerns, provide information, teach skill-building and offer support in areas such as stress, sexuality, sleep, nutrition and how to take care of yourself.
- Massage Therapists: A licensed massage therapist (LMT) is a professional whose role in the field of health is treatment of soft tissues and body joints primarily by performing therapeutic massage. The goals of therapeutic massage are general wellness, injury recovery, stress management and preventive care. Learn more...
- Quality Improvement Coordinator: A Quality Improvement Coordinator works directly with patients, clients, students and staff in resolving issues related to care and services and conveying compliments. Learn more...
Health Services also has administrative staff members who provide support to the many healthcare providers and to students.
