Non-physician practitioners or physician extenders, as they are often called, are now common place in physicians' offices and have been for some time. They are an integral part of the private practice of medicine for the simple reason that they provide very skilled and useful services to the physician's practice and the patients that practice serves. They also provide a significant source of revenue which likewise augments the physician's income. In short, physician extenders are good for both patients and physicians.

Despite the many benefits that physician extenders provide, those benefits also come with conditions. One of those conditions is the requirements that physician extenders be appropriately supervised. It is the purpose of this article, therefore, to provide a brief introductory overview of the many different levels of the term supervision in the different settings that supervision takes place under both federal and state law.