Professionals Who Can Help

Expertise that works for you

Some of the people on your health care team will become very familiar to you. But others may be working in the background, or you will have to search them out.

Depending on your needs, ask to speak with any of the following:

  • Doctors: answer all questions about your condition, treatment, side effects
  • Nurses: help with day-to-day concerns about treatment, feelings that are difficult, family issues, unmet needs
  • Pharmacists: knowledgeable about all of your medications, their side effects, and things to be aware of when different medicines are taken together
  • Dietitians: offer ways to deal with food issues during treatment and healthy eating during and after treatment
  • Social Workers: can help with a full range of daily needs such as transportation to medical appointments, finding support groups, dealing with insurance issues and legal paperwork, job and family issues, arranging for home health nurses
  • Patient Educators: provide more help understanding your condition and treatment (translating all the "medicalspeak"); work with you on how to cope and how to plan ahead
  • Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and other Mental Health Professionals: help you cope with difficult feelings, worries, and concerns; can also arrange for medication and counseling to deal with depression that may occur
  • Hospital-based Patient Advocates and Discharge Planners: can ease the transition from hospital to home and also answer questions that you may feel uncomfortable bringing up with doctors or other health professionals

Find more sources of help and support.

Psychiatrist
A medical doctor who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.
Psychologist
A specialist who can talk with patients and their families about emotional and personal matters, and can help them make decisions.