What is the difference between NP and MD?

An NP is a Nurse Practitioner, and an MD is a Medical Doctor. To practice in certain states, the NP must have a collaborative agreement with a physician so that they may diagnose, treat, and prescribe; however, there are some states where they can practice independently. Both NP and MD need an NPI number to practice and bill insurance for services rendered.

NP’s may only bill Medicare and have to be credentialed through Medicare and are assigned a provider number. The NP also has a specialty like family practice, orthopedics, and pediatrics. The MD is broader in the scope of practice, in that they can be a family practitioner, and they can treat people from the cradle to the grave, do certain in-office surgical procedures, and GYN. The MD can practice on their own without supervision.

MD and NP are two titles given to those in the medical field. MD stands for Doctor of Medicine. NP stands for Nurse Practitioner. MD's have a medical degree. To get this title, one would have had to get an advanced degree that can be obtained after the first medical degree.

NP's normally do not have a medical degree, but instead, they have advanced training allowing them to work in a variety of fields in the hospital. To become an NP, they must first be registered as a nurse. It gives them similar duties that a doctor will have, but the difference is that MD's will have a degree.

MD or Doctor of Medicine is an advanced academic medical degree that can be acquired by medical students after their first medical degree. NP or Nurse Practitioners are nurses who have undergone advanced training, and by virtue of this training, they can work in various capacities in the hospital. At times, differentiating these two can be very challenging since a nurse practitioner can also perform certain duties similar to that of a medical doctor.

For example, a nurse practitioner can assist during certain diagnostic tests, check patient medical histories, etc. Nurse practitioners can also prescribe drugs to be used by patients. Before you can become a nurse practitioner, you must first be licensed as a registered nurse. In contrast, the educational requirement of a Doctor of Medicine is high. Although both can work independently, a nurse practitioner cannot be as effective as a medical doctor whenever it comes to certain operations.