Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant

[Marsdgrove33133]

Hello to everyone. I have been signed up here for about a few months and I have to tell you guys that I am grateful for all the advice. The funny thing is I didn’t even post up a question. =) Here’s my deal. I am EMT certified. I worked in Peds ER for about 1 year and adult ER about roughly the same amount of time. I have seen what Nurse Practitioners do and also what PAs do. In the ER I asked questions about each field and the statement that is continuously mentioned is “Nurse Practitioners have more freedom then PAs do.” What does this exactly mean? Specifically I have heard that they (Nurse Practitioners) can prescribe Meds but PAs can to. Is there a difference in this area? I know the different approaches to medicine that these two professions have but truly, what is the difference between the two? They both diagnose and treat and prescribe right, so? Is it Money? Is it the name; Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant? Is it the Schooling? Is one more challenging?

Again guys, thanks for your input. It is deeply appreciated.

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[hospPA]

Hello to everyone. I have been signed up here for about a few months and I have to tell you guys that I am grateful for all the advice. The funny thing is I didn’t even post up a question. =) Here’s my deal. I am EMT certified. I worked in Peds ER for about 1 year and adult ER about roughly the same amount of time. I have seen what Nurse Practitioners do and also what PAs do. In the ER I asked questions about each field and the statement that is continuously mentioned is “Nurse Practitioners have more freedom then PAs do.” What does this exactly mean? Specifically I have heard that they (Nurse Practitioners) can prescribe Meds but PAs can to. Is there a difference in this area? I know the different approaches to medicine that these two professions have but truly, what is the difference between the two? They both diagnose and treat and prescribe right, so? Is it Money? Is it the name; Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant? Is it the Schooling? Is one more challenging?

Again guys, thanks for your input. It is deeply appreciated.

The freedom thing varies state to state, but in general, no NP's do not have more freedom than PA's. One could argue that they have less based on specialized training (ANP, PNP, etc.).
Do a search on this forum and you will find a multitude of posts on the PA vs NP thing with many opinions.

Ok, now to answer your specific question.
Challenging? PA by far. The reason I say that is you will find nearly no PA students working any significant hours during PA schools. On the other hand, you will find MANY RN's who work full-time while being in a full-time NP program. That tells me something.
Money? Same job usually = same pay. Because there are so many NP's, they are often known for taking jobs for lower pay. If you look at average NP pay compared to average PA pay, you will likely see the PA pay higher. Bottom line though, we often compete for the same jobs.

Pat

 

[Freeeedom!]

PA's go through an abbreviated version of medical school and learn based upon a medical model. NP programs are usually pursued on a part-time basis and structurally are not as rigid as PA programs.
Physician Assistant academic work is far superior to the NP programs (as a whole)...my opinion based upon working with both types of students (one NP said her education was a "waste of time")
"Independence" is a political agenda by the nursing "higher ups"...and as NP's are NOT governed by state Medical Boards, there is very little restrictions physicians can place on them. It is BS.