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.
On this page, you will find definitions for the following terms:
- Teaching hospital
- Clinical Decision Unit
- Attending doctor
- Resident
- Fellow
- Physician 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 Health Care 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.
Physician assistant
A Physician Assistant (PA) is a health care professional trained to
prevent, diagnose, and treat medical conditions in collaboration with
the attending doctor. A PA 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.