Difference between a Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant
When you visit a health care provider for medical treatment, you may get treated by someone who is not a physician. Two types of health care providers that can deliver medical treatment are nurse practitioners and physician assistants. While there may be some similarities in what these two types of health care professionals do, they are separated by their training and their missions.
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has advanced training in nursing and has earned an educational degree at the master's or doctoral level. He or she will have earned a bachelor's degree in nursing and become a registered nurse with on the job experience before entering training to become a nurse practitioner. Nurse pratitioners usually specialize in a particular field of expertise. For example, some nurse practitioners work exclusively with certain populations such as children, women, or the elderly. Some nurse practitioners have general practices. Nurse practitioners practice nursing. They collaborate with physicians when their patients need some sort of specific medical care. The type of care nurse practitioners deliver tends to be focused on patient care issues; they promote health, prevent disease, and help their patients cope with illness.
A physician assistant is trained to work under the supervision of a licensed physician to diagnose and treat illnesses under a medical model. Physician assistants practice medicine, not nursing. Their skills are competency based; they must master certain skills taught in their training program. Physician assistants work with medical doctors as members of a team, rather than consulting them only when there is a specific problem to be addressed. Physician assistants also tend to be generalists. They may or may not have completed their bachelor's degree before they begin training to become a physician assistant, although it is becoming increasingly common for physician assistants to enter training with a bachelor's degree.
One thing to remember about nurse practitioners and physician assistants is that both are specific fields within the healthcare system. They each have their own sets of professional standards and ethics. In most states, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are allowed to write prescriptions. Both nurse practitioners and physician assistants make diagnoses and decisions about treatment plans and both specialties may include health education in their practices.
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are becoming increasingly popular and common in the healthcare delivery system. They provide a cost effective and competent alternative to medical treatment provided solely by physicians.
Sources:http://www.sharp.com/jobs/nurse-practitioner-assistant-career.cfm
http://medinfo.ufl.edu/pa/program/faq.htm#13c
