NP vs PA

[MissDoodaw]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking at job postings in my hometown and see that the big research/trauma hospital in our area will hire new grad pa's OR np's with at least 2 years NPexperience -(same positions wthin the same dept and facility in some cases). I was looking b/c I did a np clinical at our correctional facility and was considering this as a career option and they staff all our community clinics and the correctional facilities.

Obviously, I do not understand the rationale behind this, but I thought someone else might...?

I included the job postings, but not the name of the hospital.

Thanks for any input!

ps. in this state np's have prescriptive autorithy incl. controlled substances.

Nurse Practitioner:

POSITION SUMMARY/RESPONSIBILITIES

Serves as member of health care team that provides primary and/or specialized health care including preventive care and on-going health maintenance for selected groups of patients. Functions in a variety of settings ranging from ambulatory to inpatient. Participates in the care of well, acutely ill and chronically ill patients

EDUCATION

A Registered Professional Nurse who is prepared for advanced nursing practice by virtue of knowledge and skills obtained through an accredited post basic or advanced educational program of study acceptable to the Board of Nurse Examiners. A Master's degree in nursing is preferred. Three years of nursing experience is required and two years of advanced practice is preferred. Certification by a national nursing body is recommended.

LICENSURE

Must be currently licensed as a Registered Nurse in Texas and credentialed by the State to practice as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner. Prescriptive authority is recommended.

PA posting

POSITION SUMMARY/RESPONSIBILITIES

Provides primary health care and performs selective medical services under the direction of clinic physicians. Responsible for diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients by completing medical histories, conducting physicals, establishing diagnosis through tests, and formulating treatment plans. Provides follow-up and health maintenance care of patients in accordance with protocols approved by a physician.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

Bachelor's or Master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant program is required.

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION

Certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants is required. Must be currently licensed as a Physician Assistant in the State of Texas. Must maintain current ACLS or equivalent certification issued by the American Heart Association. Prescriptive authority is required. Valid DEA and DPS numbers must be obtained within 90-days of hire.

[GN Dave]

Just a guess, but I would assume it's because the PA will be supervised by the physician regardless of experience, so new grads are okay, but the NP must function independantly and has prescriptive authority, so they want experience...

[cruisin_woodward]

I think that the job postings are totally different! It's weird. It seems as if the Employer either doesn't understand the NPs scope of practice or is biased toward PAs. Very interesting.

[RedCell]

I think this job posting probably is relying on past experiences with new FNPs and PAs coming out of school. The curriculum is different and I believe this is the solution to this employers requirement for what they expect out of a new hire.

[core0]

I'll point out a couple of things. The hiring authority is expecting different things from the two professions. This can be seen the prescriptive authority part. The PAs must have prescriptive authority while for the NPs its recommended. This may be in part from the need for NPs to show 45 hours of pharmacotherapy to get prescriptive authority. Depending on how the NP program is arranged it may be difficult to show. There also has to be a written protocol between the physician. I'll let members that are licensed in Texas discuss how painful that is. Prescriptive authority is part and parcel of the PA practice act.

The other issue is that they are not saying they will not hire new grad NPs. They prefer two years of NP practice but they do not require it. What they do say is that you have to have three years as a nurse. They are specifically saying that they will not hire MEPNs. There are supervisory differences between the two professions but I don't see them as deal breakers.

Why they have the rules the way they do probably relates to their experience with new grads. This may be because of where PAs work in the particular hospital vs. Where NPs work. Surgical programs will often take new grad PAs because of the difficulty finding experienced PAs. I also will point out the NP description seems to be older than the PA description.

David Carpenter, PA-C