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Physician vs Therapist - What's the difference?

physician | therapist |

As nouns the difference between physician and therapist

is that physician is a practitioner of physic, i.e. a specialist in internal medicine, especially as opposed to a surgeon; a practitioner who treats with medication rather than with surgery while therapist is someone who provides therapy, usually professionally.

physician

English

Alternative forms

* phisician (obsolete) * phisitian (obsolete) * physitian (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun) ("physician" on Wikipedia)
  • A practitioner of physic, i.e. a specialist in internal medicine, especially as opposed to a surgeon; a practitioner who treats with medication rather than with surgery.
  • *
  • *:His forefathers had been, as a rule, professional men—physicians and lawyers; his grandfather died under the walls of Chapultepec Castle while twisting a tourniquet for a cursing dragoon; an uncle remained indefinitely at Malvern Hill;.
  • A medical doctor trained in human medicine.
  • *1883 , (Robert Louis Stevenson), (Treasure Island)
  • *:The doctor had to go to London for a physician to take charge of his practice.

    • Usage notes

    * In the UK and (w) countries, a physician holds a postgraduate degree such Master of General Medicine or fellowship certificate such MRCP or FRCP from the Royal College of Physician in UK. In the United States, the term is frequently regulated by State laws, and in all States includes those with the (w) (D.O.) degree, the (Doctor of Medicine) (M.D.) degree, and in many, but not all States those with the D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic) degree.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Related terms

    * physicist * physical * physicalism * physics

    therapist

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Someone who provides therapy, usually professionally.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
    • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […]  But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.}}

    Related terms

    * therapeutic * therapy