There are many trained and certified professionals who work together to provide essential services to support your care and experience at UVM Health.
Delivering Compassionate Care
At University of Vermont Health, your care team will be made up of many different health care professionals who manage and support your treatment in different ways. During your time with us, you may interact with some or all of the following providers.
If you have a compliment to share about your experience at UVM Health, you can submit your feedback or if a nurse or support staff member had a positive impact on your experience as a patient, you can let them know with our BEE and DAISY Award programs.
Doctors
Doctors are medically qualified and licensed professionals who specialize in a specific area of care. For example, you may see an internal medicine provider for primary care, a specialist to treat a particular condition or a surgeon to perform advanced medical procedures. Your physician may be a medical doctor (MD), doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO), a bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) or a naturopathic doctor (ND).
If you are admitted to one of our hospitals as a patient, your care team will be led by one or more hospitalists, board-certified physicians who care for you throughout your hospital stay — no matter how long or short it is. Our on-site hospitalists specialize in providing hospital care to meet your severe or complex medical needs, with the goal of getting you back home as safely and quickly as possible.
An attending physician is credentialed by UVM Health to admit patients to one or more of our hospitals and to oversee their care. They may be an employee of the UVM Medical Group or a private-practice physician based in the community with admitting privileges to the hospital. All attending physicians have completed advanced training in a medical specialty.
As a health system anchored by an academic medical center, physicians-in-training are important members of the care team at some of our facilities. These include:
- Medical students: A medical student from the Larner College of Medicine at University of Vermont is in the initial learning stages of becoming a physician. A medical student does not have a medical degree, is not licensed and cannot practice medicine. However, medical students do participate in physician rounds, the time when your medical team visits you as a group to review your care plan.
- Residents: Licensed physicians who have graduated from medical school and are pursuing additional training. Residents work closely with your attending physician to manage your care, under the supervision of senior attending staff.
- Fellows: Residents who are training to become subspecialists (doctors who focus on a specific aspect of a specialty).
Advanced Practice Professionals
Advance practice professionals bring experience, knowledge and a unique skillset that can truly improve the care of patients. APPs may work alongside physicians or independently to enhance patient care and are licensed to assess, diagnose, treat and manage illnesses. APPs can prescribe medications, perform clinical procedures and conduct clinical research in management of the whole patient. This important group of providers elevates the fields of medicine and nursing to ensure our patients and communities receive safe, high-quality, evidence-based care.
The most common types of advance practice professionals are:
Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) provide care through all phases of pregnancy and birth, assist patients with their family planning and gynecological care as well as provide basic primary care for people who identify as female.
Anesthesia APPs at UVM Health are essential members of our care team, taking immense pride in their expertise and collaborative work with anesthesiologists.
As clinicians with at least six years of formal Nursing undergraduate and graduate academic and clinical training, NPs blend clinical expertise in diagnosing and treating health conditions with an added emphasis on disease prevention and health management. NPs are well-equipped to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.
Physician Assistants play an integral part in the care team, working in collaboration with physicians to provide patient-centered comprehensive care. Across numerous divisions and locations, PAs treat patients throughout the lifespan, using compassionate evidence-based practice.
Nurses
Nurses provide direct patient care in hospitals, medical offices and home health and hospice settings. Your care team may include:
Registered and licensed to practice nursing. They are responsible for carrying out the health care regimen prescribed by your health care provider and supervising practical nurses and other auxiliary personnel who care for you.
Work under the direction of your health care provider or registered nurse. LPNs perform basic nursing functions like administering medication or updating health records.
Provide basic patient care under nursing supervision, helping with daily functions such as eating and bathing.
Rehabilitation Therapists
Rehabilitation therapists are trained health and wellness professionals dedicated to helping people maximize their quality of life while improving or restoring their physical strength, mobility and cognition after an injury or illness. Different types of rehabilitation therapists include:
Physical therapists are experts in movement who help patients heal, manage pain, and improve strength and mobility through exercise and hands-on care.
Occupational therapists help those with physical or cognitive conditions regain independence and perform daily activities.
Speech-language pathologists are communication experts who assess, diagnose and treat speech, language and swallowing disorders.
Case Managers & Social Workers
Case managers and social workers support you and your family and provide resources to help with practical concerns such as financial assistance, transportation and language interpretation.
Case managers coordinate your treatment plan, helping you access the services you need.
Social workers help you improve your well-being in the face of difficult circumstances.
Nutrition Services
From meal planning to healthy habits, nutrition service professionals can help you manage your health. Clinical nutrition, or medical nutrition therapy, can help treat and manage a range of health conditions through nutrition counseling and education.
Registered Dietitians are licensed to practice medical nutrition therapy. They assess your nutritional status, recommend and implement interventions to optimize your nutritional status, and provide nutrition counseling.
Dietetic Technicians assist patients with complex diets in choosing what to eat while they are inpatient and assist the RDs in providing nutritional counseling and interventions for patients at nutritional risk.
Nutrition Care Representatives are the frontline representatives for your nutritional needs such as assisting with menu choices, delivering your meals, and keeping the hospital stocked with nourishment supplies.
Mental Health Providers
Mental health providers are experts in treating mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. They can help you cope with difficult circumstances and better manage your thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
In addition to clinically trained mental health providers, such as psychologists or psychiatrists, your mental health care team may include:
Social workers provide counseling and help improve your overall wellbeing.
Bereavement counselors help you manage grief, often in response to the death of a friend or family member.
Our spiritual caregivers are members of the clergy who are trained to provide counseling.
Support Staff
There are many other trained and certified professionals who provide essential services to support your care and experience at the UVM Health.
You may encounter:
Our medical assistants work alongside physicians, and perform duties like taking your medical history and recording your vital signs.
Intake coordinators greet, register and admit patients at health care facilities.
Technicians specialize in specific areas of care and are trained to test and analyze samples (such as blood, tissue or urine) to aid in the diagnosis of a wide range of conditions.
Schedulers coordinate appointments and take patient information.
Phlebotomists collect and prepare blood samples for testing.
Environmental service employees create a safe, clean environment in which clinical staff can provide high-quality, life-saving care.
Our volunteers contribute their time, talent and energy in a variety of ways throughout the organization.
