Emergency Department Roles
Stanford's Emergency Department is staffed by an award winning team. Learn more about how each team member is involved in your care. If you have questions during your visit, you may ask any team member for assistance.
Definitions:
- Teaching Hospital
- Clinical Decision Unit
- Attending Doctor
- Resident
- Fellow
- Doctor Assistant
- Nurse Practitioner
- Medical Student
- Nurse
A teaching hospital means that a hospital is affiliated with a medical school. This means that medical students, residents, and fellows may be part of your care team. Stanford Hospital is affiliated with the Stanford School of Medicine.
Because several doctors may be involved in your care, you may need to repeat the reasons for your visit to each of them. Rest assured that your team works closely together and their collaboration helps ensure the best possible care for you.
One of the benefits of receiving care at a teaching hospital is access to the deep expertise of the practicing faculty and staff. Our commitment to excellence in teaching the next generation of doctors enhances patient care.
Clinical Decision Unit
Patients who have been seen in the Emergency Department may need more time to have their medical condition evaluated, or remain for short-term therapies while in the Emergency Department. In the Clinical Decision Unit, nurse practitioners and doctor assistants manage patients' care in collaboration with attending doctors to determine the response to therapeutic treatments and need for admission to the hospital.
Attending Doctor
An “attending doctor” is a licensed senior doctor who supervises the medical team and is in charge of planning your treatment and coordinating your care. All attending doctors in the Stanford Emergency Department are appointed in the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Resident
A “resident” is a licensed doctor who is undergoing specialty training. The resident works with the attending doctor to make decisions about managing your care and is your primary doctor contact while you are in the Emergency Department. Stanford is proud to have one of the leading emergency medicine residency training programs in the U.S.
Fellow
A “fellow” is a licensed doctor who has completed residency training in a field such as emergency medicine or surgery, and is undergoing further subspecialty training.
Doctor Assistant
A “doctor assistant” (PA) is a health care professional trained to prevent, diagnose and treat medical conditions in collaboration with the attending doctor. A doctor assistant provides comprehensive health care as part of your health care team.
Nurse Practitioner
A “nurse practitioner” (NP) is an advanced practice nurse who has completed graduate education and is trained to prevent, diagnose and treat medical conditions. A nurse practitioner provides comprehensive health care as part of your health care team.
Medical Student
A “medical student” is a student in medical school who is studying to become a doctor. All medical students in the Emergency Department at Stanford are under strict supervision at all times.
Nurse
Emergency nursing is a specialty in which nurses care for patients in the emergency or critical phase of their illness or injury and are adept at discerning life-threatening problems, prioritizing the urgency of care, and rapidly and effectively carrying out resuscitative measures and other treatment. These nurses are trained to be able to initiate needed emergency measures, and to educate the patient and family about information and emotional support. The emergency doctors and nurses work as a seamless team to provide you with the best and most compassionate care possible.