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What is the difference between a Nurse Practitioner and a Physician Assistant? |
I am still trying to decide which career path to take. I am thinking that I would like to go into obstetrics, neonatology, or a similar field. Can PAs do that as well? Which school path is better? I am not an RN, but I already have an unrelated masters. The NP program I am looking at is 3 1/2 years. The PA program is 2 years. Any thoughts? Thanks!! Two popular alternatives to becoming a physician have been Physician Assistant (PA) and Nurse Practitioner (NP) programs. Both positions are usually obtained after completing advanced training, generally a two-year program. Each specialty provides the opportunity to see individual patients and to provide basic clinical health care. Both offer the opportunity to prescribe medications (depending upon state regulations), and order diagnostic tests in the treatment of their patients. What is the difference? While the professions have similarities, they are also diverse tracks of health care and have differing underlying philosophies to training and practice. The greatest difference between the two fields is an underlying philosophy toward patients and disease. PA's come out of and are trained in a medical model. Their training is very similar to that of a physician because, from the outset, they were seen as an extension of the physician, not as a replacement for the physician or as a different type of independent practitioner. The medical model defines health as the absence of disease and the focus is on the treatment, cure and management of disease. The model has a biological focus and tends to look at the symptoms and not the social and behavioral causes of illness. In clinical practice, the major differences between PAs and NPs are the practice setting and the requirement of supervision. Over 80% of physician assistants work in office, hospital or ambulatory care settings while approximately 45% of nurse-practitioners do. This in great part to the differences in the philosophical foundations and the fact that while over one-half of the states allow nurse-practitioners to practice without supervision, all physician assistants are required to be supervised by a physician. A PA's duties are delegated by the supervising physician within the scope of the physician's practice and the PA's training and experience. Both PAs and NPs can prescribe medication (subject to authority by the state) and order medical tests. i dunno, but my dad's a physician assistant. Both a Physician Assistant and a Nurse Practitioner work under the supervision of a Medical Doctor. But a Physician assistant can get his degree from a 4 year college. A Nurse Practitioner usually starts off as an RN, which takes 2 yrs, or 4 yrs with a bachelors degree. I think you have to have a BS first. Then go into the Nurse Practitioner program. They both probably both have the same knowledge, but from my experience, a Nurse Practitioner is more compassionate towards patients because she has been a nurse and worked bedside. PA's can be like MD's and have NO bedside manners, and can be rude at times. There is alot of debate on this subject of who has a "higher" position: An NP or a PA. I have actually never seeen a PA in Neonatology, but I have seen several NeonatalNP (which is a specialty area of NP's, but you have to go to a school that has that specific program). Since you have a Masters in another field, there are many direct-entry NP programs where you graduate with your MSN. These are very accelerated programs, but since you already have an advanced degree, you know the drill of graduate school. PA's are a little different...They actually do a residency (although short), while an NP does clinical time with another NP. The PA's do their residency with an actual physician and have a broader practice area than NP's. PA's usually enter PA school have BS degrees in Chemistry or Biology...though some will take you after you complete your junior year of undergrad, but it's almost impossible to get admitted b/c priority is given to those that already have a BS. I would actually find it hard to believe that you could find a PA program that was less time than a NP program...that is one of the major reasons why may women do NP programs b/c the PA's are much longer. Not sure if that helps or not. |
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