Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant

avip123 · Jan 5, 2011

I'm in the same boat as youfourfecta. My wife says PA is better off because Kaiser tends to hire more PA's then NP's. I'm personally leaning toward NP since I'm already a LVN and in school to get my RN. Here's a break down of main differences between PA and NP.

What is the Difference Between a PA, NP and RN?

Mrs. Sparkle Pants · Jan 5, 2011

I am neither, but I have researched both quite a bit, and this is what I have concluded:

Pay = Same

Job Outlook = Same

Job Duties = Same

Education = To be an NP you must first get your BSN then get your MSN. To be a PA you must have a B.S. in something then get your M.S. or M.PAS

The main difference is NPs choose a specialty whereas PAs do not they have a little training in all specialty areas, but as an NP you can go back and get certificates in other specialties. Also, it seems NPs have more autonomy and can do more on their own.

Finally, you will hear the "medical model" (PA) vs. "nursing model." Basically, PAs are trained under the medical model, like doctors, which essentially places the focus on disease, whereas the nursing model focuses on the patient.

I hope that helps, and maybe someone with experience can correct me if I'm wrong :-)

avip123 · Jan 5, 2011

Kah5209, thanks for the break down! Yea, I believe it boils down to the model of treatment or focus you can say. Medical vs. Nursing.

SweetBabyLPN · Jan 5, 2011

Well I know where I live, NP's can do more than PA's. PA's can't write orders for any injectables, i.e. Insulin, Lovenox, Procrit, etc. . There are also a ton of forms they can't sign and many other things that the NP's can do that the PA's can't.

Also, (I may be wrong) but I would think that an NP can function more independently whereas a PA needs to be working with an MD or DO??

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Jan 5, 2011

An NP can hang a shingle and go into business (like a psych counselor or midwife) whereas a PA can't. My impression has been that PA's require more direct MD supervision. Here in the wild west there are clinics with NP's 5 days a week. An MD visits one afternoon a week, discusses more complex cases, signs off on charts, and the most complex patients are scheduled to see the doc then. As always, your mileage may vary.

thinkertdm · Jan 5, 2011

hmm... my pa wrote me a prescription for insulin. and i know the military has a program where the pa and doc are in different cities, and communicate through teleconferencing. go to [color=#0e774a]www.physicianassistantforum.com for unbiased opinions on pa training and practice.

PMFB-RN, RN · Jan 5, 2011

NP = Doctorate preparation after the BSN

PA = Associates, bachelors, or master preparation. Yes you can go to a community college and become a PA.

*** Here in Wisconsin PAs & NPs working in the same speciality make the same. However the very high paying specialities, like CV surgery are only open to PAs.

I was debating this myself until the nurse hating nurses revealed their insecurity and low self esteem and mandated the doctorate for NPs. Now PA is clearly the better path for me.

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2011

PAs are generally governed by the board of medicine and follow that "medical model" I am more inclined personally to buy into despite being in nursing school. It also seems like PAs are more apt to be recruited for employment. I think the curriculum is better, generally speaking. Arkansas isn't a PA friendly state, but it isn't for NPs either. If the PA opportunity were better here I would've gone that route.

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PMFB-RN, RN · Jan 5, 2011

An NP can hang a shingle and go into business (like a psych counselor or midwife) whereas a PA can't.

*** They can and do. My question is why in the world would anyone want to?

nursynurseRN · Jan 5, 2011

From my understanding a NP is a independant practioner while a PA always needs an MD to work with.

MntnGirl · Jan 5, 2011

This may not be true for every PA program but the ones I've looked at require intensive curriculums that have very little room for anything other than the PA program, for instance one program I'm looked at is 28months long, no summer break, and the program does not allow the students to work during the 28months. NP programs (again, not all) seem to allow more room for flexibility, the program I'm looking at for a FNP has a 2year or 4 year option, and many of the people I know that have attended NP programs have been able to work while in the programs. I myself am looking at NP and PA programs and have been contemplating which route I'd like to take and being able to work while in a Masters' program is a huge factor in which way I go. I also like the autonomy NP's have (dependant on which state one practices); and because I have my BSN I won't need to take any pre-req courses to attend a NP program whereas I would need to take around 3 pre-req courses for a PA program I'm interested in. Lastly, the pre-req's for the PA program have a 10 year limit on them (if taken over 10 years ago the pre-reqs need to be taken again), so if one has been a nurse for over 10 years they would need to take all of the pre-req's over again. (again, this is just for the NP and PA programs I have looked at and there is much variety between requirements for NP and PA programs). Good luck with whatever route you take.