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What would you say is the difference between a Nurse Practitioner and a Physician Assistant?

Hello! I know I want to be in the medical field for children, but I don’t necessarily want to be a pediatrician so I’m debating between NP and PA. They both seem pretty similar so if someone could explain that would be great! Have a great day everyone! #healthcare #medicine #medical

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Joanna’s Answer

Hello Anais! As Karli mentioned above, there is a difference in the education between NPs and PAs. NP programs focus on the nursing model, which has a more holistic approach where they focus on treating both the immediate issue as well as the overall wellbeing of the patient. PA schools, on the other hand, focus on the medical model, which focuses more on the disease/issue and the treatment.

The schooling is also different between the 2 professions. Before admittance to an NP programs, schools require their applicants to have a BSN and some experience working in the field prior to apply for NP school. With PA programs, they require a B.S. and patient care experience (PCE) hours to apply (people usually recommend at least a 1000 hours). I am not sure how much experience you'd need for NP school, but I assume a good amount as well! If you're interested in working in pediatrics, I believe NPs need to have an additional certification in pediatrics before they can begin working with children. PAs, however, do not I believe.

Another difference is NPs can open their own clinics, but PAs cannot. PAs must work under a supervising physician, so if having your own practice is important to you, then I recommend the NP route!

Hope this helps! I am hoping to apply to PA school next year in April, so if you have any questions about the application process, please reach out! I'd be happy to help in anyway I can :)
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Karli’s Answer

Hello. Great question. The short answer is that the level of education is different between a NP and a PA.

A PA has a Master's level of education and has already has many hours of direct patient contact. The PA program lasts about 27 months.

A NP also has a Master's level education but must also have a registered RN license plus more advanced medical and clinical education. It'll take anywhere between 2 to 4 years to complete the NP program.

For both programs you will be nationally certified and hold a state license. I included a link below that goes further into this.

https://www.southshoreorthopedics.com/nurse-practitioner-vs-physician-assistant/
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much! I appreciate it and I hope you have a lovely day!! Anais
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Giavanna’s Answer

One of the bigger differences between PAs and NPs is that NPs must choose a specialty before graduating, making that part of their curriculum, while PAs have the choice to work in all different areas of medicine throughout their careers.
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