clinician
/klɪˈnɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /klɪˈnɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /kli-ˈni-shən/ (ame, mw)
clinician — noun
- cliniciansingular
- cliniciansplural
1. a health professional — for example a doctor, nurse practitioner, or psychologis
a health professional — for example a doctor, nurse practitioner, or psychologist — whose main role is direct patient care, not laboratory work or classroom teaching
Dr. Adebayo, the ward's senior clinician, checked every patient's chart before morning rounds.
collocation: senior clinician
The clinician at the rural health clinic treated three children who all had the same high fever.
clinician at + institution
During the morning clinic, an experienced clinician noticed the spreading rash and ordered blood tests straight away.
Unlike the researchers in the lab upstairs, the clinicians on the ground floor saw patients all day long.
The young clinician knelt beside the frightened boy's bed and spoke to him in a soft, calm voice.
- doctor
broader term; includes researchers and administrators who may never see patients
- physician
emphasises formal medical qualification; narrower than clinician, which can include psychologists and nurses
- practitioner
the most general term; needs a qualifier like 'medical' or 'healthcare' to be clear
- therapist
focuses on psychological or rehabilitative care rather than general medical treatment