When you choose to get your primary care at MIT Health, you won’t just get a primary care provider; you’ll have an entire team of healthcare professionals on your side.
With team-based care, your primary care provider (PCP) works with other members of a team — medical assistants (MAs), registered nurses (RNs), and others — to provide you with care that is timely, appropriate, comprehensive, and coordinated. You’ll see your regular PCP for routine care, but if you need a same-day appointment and your PCP isn’t available, we’ll get you in to see another PCP on the team. If you just need a vaccine, an RN can take care of you promptly. Your primary care team may also include a behavioral health clinician and/or a clinical pharmacist.
Who’s who on your care team?
Read more the healthcare professionals who may be part of your care team.
Physicians
Physicians are doctors who have completed medical school and a three-year residency in pediatrics, family medicine, or internal medicine. Physicians at MIT Health care for children or adults or both. You can choose a physician or a nurse practitioner as your PCP.
- Family medicine physicians care for individuals of all ages, from infants to senior citizens.
- Internal medicine physicians (also called “internists”) care for adults of all ages. Some also care for children older than 10, but they do not usually see younger children.
- Pediatricians care for patients from birth through adolescence and young adulthood.
Nurse practitioners
Nurse practitioners have completed a master’s degree and are licensed to practice medicine at an advanced level. They may diagnose illnesses, order tests, develop treatment plans, and write prescriptions. Nurse practitioners at MIT Health care for children or adults or both. Each nurse practitioner at MIT Health works in collaboration with a physician, as required by state regulations. You can choose a nurse practitioner or a physician as your PCP.
Behavioral health clinicians
Behavioral health clinicians in MIT Health’s Primary Care Service are social workers, psychologists, or psychiatrists. They can provide brief non-medication consults, medication evaluations and management, and care management for patients who require higher levels of care and/or more intensive follow-up. Your PCP must give you a referral before you can make an appointment with a behavioral health clinician.
Registered nurses
Registered nurses (RNs) at MIT Health have a four-year bachelor’s degree and have passed a national licensing exam. Our RNs play many important roles — from administering certain treatments and vaccines to helping patients manage their treatment plans. When you are sick and call MIT Health wondering what to do next, a triage nurse can assess your symptoms and advise you on next steps.
Clinical pharmacists
Clinical pharmacists in MIT Health’s Primary Care Service are medication experts who work with providers to make sure patients are prescribed the medications that will meet their individual needs. To support providers, clinical pharmacists review prescriptions, monitor patients’ medication responses, and make recommendations. They support patients with medication consultations, education, and help in managing certain chronic health conditions.
