Finding care / A question brief
What if I see a nurse practitioner or PA?
Ask for the person’s role as well as their name. The role tells you which Texas record to open.
What do those titles mean?
A nurse practitioner is a nurse who may prescribe under Texas rules. PA means physician assistant, a health professional who works with a doctor.
In Texas, the Board of Nursing handles nurse practitioners’ licences, while the Medical Board lookup covers PAs.
Can either write a prescription?
As of September 2026, Texas lets a nurse practitioner or PA write prescriptions when a doctor gives that authority through a signed agreement and supervises the work.
For a PA, the doctor must supervise the work at all times. The doctor can be elsewhere but must be reachable.
Ask who supervises prescribing and how questions reach that doctor. A title by itself does not show the terms of the person’s agreement.
What can I check before the visit?
- What is the prescriber’s full name and professional title?
- Where can I find their Texas licence record?
- Who is the doctor responsible for the prescribing agreement?
- Who answers when I have a question about the plan?
Keep those names with your visit notes. It makes later questions easier to direct.