MD/DO/PA/NP's are providers. RN'S are ancillary staff like respiratory therapists or xray techs.
providers evaluate pts, order tests, interpret them and make a diagnosis which leads to a plan. providers can write prescriptions and order consults and write referals to physical therapy and other types of support services. providers can have a "patient panel" that they are responsible for in the context that they serve as the "primary care provider" who coordinates all medical care including referals and laboratory and other diagnostic tests such as xrays or colonoscopies.
RN'S, are important in that they help to facilitate the orders writen by providers and in some situations can act within a range of delegated authority to for instance order an ekg for a pt with chest pain or start an iv for someone with abnormal vital signs or perform other similar tasks. excellent nurses frequently contribute to the decision making process by adding their critical observations into the mix but at the end of the day it is the providers who make the final diagnosis, formulate the plan, and write the prescriptions or referals. providers could not do their jobs without nursing support and nurses would not have jobs without providers to work with. medicine is a team sport. many nurses go on to become pa's or nurse practitioners("midlevel providers"). it takes 2 years to teach a nurse what they need to practice as a pa or np.
