In case gaiga is too modest, I'll tell you. A nurse practioner is between a Registered Nurse (RN), like me, and a Medical Doctor (MD). She started out an RN and went onto further education and certification. She can see patients for the doctors in the office and even write prescriptions. Most clinics are staffed mainly with NPs. I think she can suture and perform other minor operative procedures. Thanks to her nursing experience, she has a better sense of communication than most doctors. I forget what else, just that a Nurse Practitioner is to be admired.