How do you say nurse practitioner in Spanish?

"Enfermero practicante" or "enfermera practicante." Because the role is uncommon in Latin America, add a short explanation: "Puedo examinarla, pedir exámenes y recetarle medicamentos."

How do you say physician assistant in Spanish?

"Asistente médico" or "asistente médica." Follow it with "trabajo con el doctor" so the patient understands your scope rather than assuming you are support staff.

How do you say medical specialties in Spanish?

"Las especialidades médicas." Most specialty names are near-cognates ending in -ía: cardiología, neurología, dermatología. Two that catch people out are pulmonology ("neumología") and OB/GYN ("ginecología y obstetricia").

Medical Specialties and Healthcare Roles in Spanish

Spanish-speaking patients frequently do not know what a nurse practitioner or physician assistant is, because the roles do not exist the same way in most Latin American systems. This page covers specialty names and role titles, plus the sentences that explain who you are and what you do.

English	Spanish	Audio
doctor / physician	el médico / la médica "El doctor / la doctora" is the everyday form of address.
nurse	el enfermero / la enfermera
nurse practitioner	el enfermero practicante / la enfermera practicante The role is unfamiliar to many patients — explain it, do not just name it.
physician assistant	el asistente médico / la asistente médica
medical assistant	el asistente médico de consultorio
pharmacist	el farmacéutico / la farmacéutica
interpreter	el intérprete / la intérprete
specialist	el especialista
family medicine	la medicina familiar
internal medicine	la medicina interna
pediatrics	la pediatría
cardiology	la cardiología
dermatology	la dermatología
gastroenterology	la gastroenterología
neurology	la neurología
obstetrics and gynecology	la ginecología y obstetricia
oncology	la oncología
ophthalmology	la oftalmología
orthopedics	la ortopedia
psychiatry	la psiquiatría
pulmonology	la neumología
radiology	la radiología
surgery	la cirugía
urology	la urología
emergency medicine	la medicina de emergencia
physical therapy	la terapia física
What is your name and role?	Me llamo ___ y soy ___.

Using these terms with patients

Nurse practitioner and physician assistant roles do not exist in most Latin American systems. Name the role, then explain the scope in one sentence.
Most specialty names are cognates ending in -ía. The two that catch people out are pulmonology ("neumología") and OB/GYN ("ginecología y obstetricia").
Patients default to "doctor" for everyone in a white coat. Correcting it gently at introduction prevents confusion about who can prescribe.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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