Difference between an np and a pa

Nurse practitioners are advanced-practice nurses who have either a master's degree or doctoral degree in nursing and have completed an accredited NP program. They choose a specialty track based on their population foci in their course of study. For example, they can select pediatrics, adult/ gerontology, psychiatry, women’s health, etc. A specific number supervised of clinical hours is required to graduate and for licensure. Some NPs even choose to continue in a residency program to further their clinical experience. Specialty certification in their specialty is required as well to be able to practice. Learn more about the various NP specialties.

Physician assistants must complete a minimum of a bachelor's degree to enroll in a PA program. Physician assistant programs are competitive, so getting an early start in prerequisite work is crucial. A master's degree is awarded after completion of the PA program. PAs are trained in general medicine but can specialize later. Physician assistants must also complete a set number of clinical hours to graduate, and general certification is also required.

Both NP and PA programs can take 2-3 years to complete.

Scope of Practice

Both nurse practitioners and physician assistants are essential to the healthcare team. These providers ensure that the healthcare needs are met at a time when access to physicians can be challenging. Both require strict training and are governed by state regulations. The most significant difference is the approach to patient care and level of independent practice.

The most commonly asked question among students interested in pursuing a health care career is "What’s the difference between a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Physician Assistant (PA)?" A career in the health care field can be extremely rewarding, but getting there requires several years of classes, training and learning. This kind of commitment means you need to be aware of your options.

Here are three differences to consider:

1. Both fields pursue (different) higher education and examinations

When nurses advance from a bachelor's to a master's or doctoral degree and complete an exam, they receive a nurse practitioner certification. Physician assistants also need to complete their master's degree and follow their own certification process, the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE).

2. Most physician assistants practice medicine autonomously

In most states, upon completion of their education and certification process, physician assistants work with a physician under a collaborative agreement, but their day-to-day work usually does not require any direct MD oversight. Physician assistants often operate independent PA-led clinics, and their physician interaction is usually limited to a few monthly on-site visits.

While about half of the states now grant nurse practitioners freedom to practice and prescribe independently without having any collaborative agreement with an MD, many states still require nurse practitioners to maintain collaborative agreements with physicians and are not considered independent practitioners.

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3. Nurse practitioners are more patient-centered; Physician assistants are more disease-centered

Nurse practitioners tend to have a long-term approach to working with patients. This is increasingly important when you look at the role of chronic disease in America. Nearly half of all Americans suffer from some form of chronic disease, and two thirds of all death is caused by chronic disease such as cancer or diabetes. Nurse practitioners work with patients to form long-term health plans and provide health education and counseling to those at risk.

What’s more, nurse practitioners typically care for a certain population of people. For example, they may specialize in adult and geriatric health, pediatric health or psychiatric and mental health.

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Physician assistants typically are more disease-centered. They work with physicians to identify problems with patients and brainstorm treatments and eventual cures. Their goal is to work with physicians to get patients as healthy as can be and back on their feet.

• patient assessments,
• prescribe treatment and
• perform diagnostic tests to determine the health of their patients.

While their education and legal practice operations may be different, the type of candidates that both fields attract is incredibly similar. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants pursue their careers because they want to help people and have a passion for comforting patients and making them as healthy as possible.