All original responses to the Discussion Board are due by Saturday at 11:59 p.m. each unit. Original responses are required to be a minimum of 150 words. You are required to respond to a minimum of two classmates’ posts by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. each unit. Each response to classmates’ posts is required to be a minimum of 75 words. You are required to present information based on scholarly sources. Avoid such sources that are not deemed credible, such as Wikipedia and other online encyclopedia sources. Be sure to cite and reference all sources in APA writing style. You are encouraged to view the Discussion Board grading rubric located in the Course Resources to see how your work will be graded.

Many years ago, long before health care became specialized, when a person required medical attention they went to their local doctor who treated all medical issues from broken bones to childbirth. Some local practitioners even conducted minor surgeries because surgeons at the time were few and far between.

Times have surely changed! Technology has advanced tremendously in the medical field. In the United States today there are three distinct levels of care; primary, secondary, and tertiary. Each level of care is specific to the needs of the patient. For example, if an individual has a nasty cold, they most likely will not require secondary or tertiary care, but more than likely would seek the services at the primary care level. Conversely, if an individual had end-stage-renal disease, they surely would not receive dialysis from their primary care physician but instead would seek out the specialized care required from a nephrologist to meet their serious health needs.

For this Discussion, define each level of care; primary, secondary and tertiary. Explain the type of care each level provides. Then choose a medical problem and describe the types of treatment that might be provided at each level of care. Try choosing a medical problem that has not been selected by your classmates. How might a patient receive services from all three levels of care for the same health issue? (Do not forget to check out our Unit 6 Practice Exercise; you may find it helpful here.)