I had a friend from out of town over last night - my friend's latest love is a seasoned chiropractor for sports acquainted injuries ...talking NFL
blah
anyway I was telling him about my pre reqs/ CNA classes and what i have done etc. (mostly all of them done woo hoo ) and he said "why not go for PA? ..i was like "well there is only one school around here who even offers that program"...."and it seems like a lost cause" .....not sure if i was correct
but what the Heck does a PA really do and are they really in demand? does not seem so to me ( from my searches on the internet)
I think he was just trying to seem helpful and smart in front of a group
are there really PA jobs in the real world ? btw i want to work in a hospital environment
Being a PA is really a dead-end job. There is no chance of advancement in that role. At least as a nurse practitioner, one can have autonomy and practice independently without the backing of an MD.
I think the idea of PA's is a great one and they serve a purpose, but as a career...............................? No way!
Being a PA is really a dead-end job. There is no chance of advancement in that role. At least as a nurse practitioner, one can have autonomy and practice independently without the backing of an MD.
I think the idea of PA's is a great one and they serve a purpose, but as a career...............................? No way!
I don't think you're exactally correct. Both PAs and nurse practitioner's need the backing of an MD. In California, PA's are more common and in demand. A nurse practitioner can have his or her own office, while a PA cannot, but they still have to have an MD behind them.
also, I note that the pay scale is a little higher for PA's in California. (No, I'm not a PA, and my daughter plans to be a FNP.)
I don't think you're exactally correct. Both PAs and nurse practitioner's need the backing of an MD. In California, PA's are more common and in demand. A nurse practitioner can have his or her own office, while a PA cannot, but they still have to have an MD behind them.
also, I note that the pay scale is a little higher for PA's in California. (No, I'm not a PA, and my daughter plans to be a FNP.)
Nurse practitioners have independent prescriptive authority which I do not believe PA's have. In the long run, NP's still have far more autonomy than PA's.
a pa stands for physician assistant. pa's are masters prepared and can work anywhere in medicine. they can do almost everything an md can do but they must have md supervision and a means of communication with the md. they can suture, place lines, intubate and do alot of other things.
the np on the other hand are masters prepared APRNs(advance practice rns) that can do a lot of things pa's can do. depending on the state, they can work independantly from a physician but they have to specialize, meaning they choose a certain specialty and work within that specialty. some specialtys include acute care, family practice, womens health, etc etc. with additional certifications(rnfa), the np can work in surgery with a physician.
depending on the state, both nps and pas may prescribe drugs, diagnose illnesses, order labs, perform physicals, and a bunch of other stuff. both proffessions have there drawbacks and both have their strengths. not one profession is better than the other, but i heard that pa's must retake their boards every two years. my cousins a pa and he loves his job, on the other hand, i dont know any nps personally but a lot of my patients primary care providers are nps and they are happy with the primary care that they provide.
im planning on persuing a joint acute care np/ family np degree and i hope that the little information that i provided sheds some light for you.
I don't think you're exactally correct. Both PAs and nurse practitioner's need the backing of an MD. In California, PA's are more common and in demand. A nurse practitioner can have his or her own office, while a PA cannot, but they still have to have an MD behind them.
also, I note that the pay scale is a little higher for PA's in California. (No, I'm not a PA, and my daughter plans to be a FNP.)
When you say "A nurse practitioner...still have to have an MD behind them" is a little misleading. It varies from state-to-state, but NP that have their own office do not have to have an "MD behind them", whatever that means. NP's have to be able to collaberate with an MD if needed. That means if a NP needs to get a consult, they can pick up the phone and place a call to an MD. Now, I know plenty of physicians that do just the same thing...ask for a consult from another physian. So basically, the NP needs to have access to an MD if needed. However, MD's do not need to "sign-off" or approve of anything. The NP acts independently and with full autonomy.
I've always wondered the same thing....and after thoroughly reading through the posts, although very informative (thank you guys) I still don't see the major difference between them?
To me, in the state of Nevada, the difference between P.A. & NP is the tuition and accreditation, the P.A. program here seems to only be provided by a private unaccredited college as the NP program can be fulfilled by the University...
If the P.A. program was only an Associates Degree here (as the above poster pointed out it is in Miami) I might have swayed that way and moved to California when I graduated (where they are in demand and get paid more) Right? Sometimes when I see things like that I wish I could backtrack to when I was single and childless...although there would probably many stipulations for someone moving as a P.A. from one state to another.
in miami all you need is an associates degree to become a p.a. (at miami dade college).
are you talking about "medical assistant"?
physician assistant
assesses, plans and provides patient care under the supervision of a physician. examines patient, performs comprehensive physical examinations, and compiles patient medical data, including health history and results of physical examination. may require a master's degree and must be a graduate of an accredited physician assistant program. must meet any state requirements pertaining to a physician assistant. familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. performs a variety of tasks. a wide degree of creativity and latitude is required. typically reports to a physician.
medical assistant
assists in examination and treatment of patients under the direction of a physician. interviews patients, measures vital signs (i.e., pulse rate, temperature, blood pressure, weight, and height), and records information on patients' charts. may be required to draw and collect blood samples from patients and prepare specimens for laboratory analysis. prepares treatment rooms for examination of patients. requires a high school diploma and medical assistant certificate and 0-2 years of experience in a related field. familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. performs a variety of tasks. typically reports to supervisor or manager.
assesses, plans and provides patient care under the supervision of a physician. examines patient, performs comprehensive physical examinations, and compiles patient medical data, including health history and results of physical examination. may require a master's degree and must be a graduate of an accredited physician assistant program. must meet any state requirements pertaining to a physician assistant. familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. performs a variety of tasks. a wide degree of creativity and latitude is required. typically reports to a physician.
medical assistant
assists in examination and treatment of patients under the direction of a physician. interviews patients, measures vital signs (i.e., pulse rate, temperature, blood pressure, weight, and height), and records information on patients' charts. may be required to draw and collect blood samples from patients and prepare specimens for laboratory analysis. prepares treatment rooms for examination of patients. requires a high school diploma and medical assistant certificate and 0-2 years of experience in a related field. familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. performs a variety of tasks. typically reports to supervisor or manager.
miami dade college does indeed have a pa program that leads to an associate degree. this is probably a rare thing indeed, and may not be that marketable of a degree. with competition out there, i would guess it would be better to have a b.s. or a masters degree to be very competetive.
OK, this has been bothering me for a while about the whole Miami Dade College Associate's Degree thing, so I actually went and looked at their program to see what was going on. If you look at the registration requirements you need an "Advanced Degree" from another institution is required in order to apply for their PA program. So, the people who are going through this school to become a PA already have at least a BA/BS before they can apply. So, the minimum educational attainment of the PA's graduating from the Miami Dade Program is not simply an AA in order to practice. They have advanced degrees in addition to their "certification" schooling through the community college.
After looking further I see that the school is actually on probation from the PA accreditation board. So, this tells you a lot about the program.
Not trying to influence anyone in either direction - just trying to get the facts out their for your consideration.
OK, this has been bothering me for a while about the whole Miami Dade College Associate's Degree thing, so I actually went and looked at their program to see what was going on. If you look at the registration requirements you need an "Advanced Degree" from another institution is required in order to apply for their PA program. So, the people who are going through this school to become a PA already have at least a BA/BS before they can apply. So, the minimum educational attainment of the PA's graduating from the Miami Dade Program is not simply an AA in order to practice. They have advanced degrees in addition to their "certification" schooling through the community college.
After looking further I see that the school is actually on probation from the PA accreditation board. So, this tells you a lot about the program.
Not trying to influence anyone in either direction - just trying to get the facts out their for your consideration.
Thanks for clearing that up, I was thinking there is no way you can become a PA with an associates degree LOL
Probationary Accreditation- is a temporary status of accreditation conferred when a program does not meet the Standards and when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened. Once placed on probation, programs that still fail to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and/or risk having their accreditation withdrawn.
RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN
8,498 Posts
Very limited I agree.