Mid-level practitioners, also called non-physician practitioners or advanced practice providers, are health care providers who have a defined scope of practice. The term mid-level refers to the complexity of healthcare situations they handle, not the quality of the care provided. This means that they are trained and legally permitted to provide healthcare in fewer situations than physicians but more than other health professionals. For example, a mid-level provider may be trained for and legally permitted to perform minor surgical procedures, but not trained for or legally permitted to perform complex or experimental surgeries.