They work with patients of all ages in virtually all specialty and primary care areas, diagnosing and treating common illnesses and working with minor procedures. You will never have complete autonomy and be able to practice on your own. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 47% of nurse practitioners work in the offices of physicians and 27% work in hospitals. Because of these differences, nurse practitioners typically adhere to a patient-centered model, while PAsl focus on a disease-centered model. The differences in their . PAs training is disease-center. As such, nurse practitioners earn an average yearly salary of $104,610, which is about $2,520 more than the average physician assistant salary. A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse (RN) with the advanced clinical expertise needed to prevent, diagnose, and treat health conditions, as defined by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).They develop comprehensive treatment plans in collaboration with patients and integrate insights from the entire medical team, including physical therapists, speech language . NPs specialize in a few areas like mental health, pediatrics, gerontology, and women's health. Medical Laboratory Science. A person who has proved himself or herself as an RN has brought multiple healthcare careers within easier reach. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners made an average of $115,800 per year or $55.67 per hour, and physician assistants earned an average of $112,260 per year with an average pay of $53.97 per hour. However, due to their specific training in nursing, it's difficult to change fields during your career path. Although a nurse practitioner trains on a nurse pathway and focuses on diagnosis, testing, and treating a patient. 1 The key responsibilities of a physician assistant include: 2 . PAs usually attend a four-year, accredited university, obtaining a degree within the field of science. Nurse practitioners, on the other hand, usually work independently of a physician and offer a combination of nursing and health care services. Both fields pursue (different) higher education and examinations. The examination they need to clear is known as . But there are many thingsfrom philosophy to salary to eligibility requirementsthat set them apart. While nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) professions both offer autonomy, responsibility and competitive salaries, there are clear differences between PA vs. NP careers. Duties of Nurse Practitioner Vs Physician Assistant. Compare Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant on career and salary potentials, as to check which is the best career option. 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. A physician assistant (PA) is a licensed medical professional who holds an advanced degree and is able to provide direct patient care. 3. Learn schooling requirements, education programs, job opportunities, salary prospects and differences in these healthcare/medical career specialties. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PA's can: Conduct physical exams. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners work in similar settings and for many employers are interchangeable. Last updated February 1, 2019. There are differences between PA vs. NP in practice as well, including training using the medical versus nursing model. You will always need to have a supervising physician. The physician-PA team relationship is a foundational aspect of the PA profession. They can both assist physicians during surgery. These growth rates are very high. Contrasts in Academic Preparation Nurse practitioners typically train according to the nursing model, while physician assistants receive an education that focuses on the medical model. On the low end, physician assistants earned a 25th percentile salary of. Our program was 40 hours/week. A Physician Assistant is a health care professional licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. Nurse practitioners choose a field based on a population. Allergy practices are increasingly hiring nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to grow practice revenue and improve allergist satisfaction and patient care. To become a physician assistant, a candidate must: First possess a bachelor's degree in a scientific field, such as physiology, chemistry, mathematics or biology Have some work experience in the nursing field, but RN licensure is not necessary Pass a background check Complete up to 2,000 clinical hours There are differences also in the type of administrative work that each professional conducts. Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are health professions begun in the United States in the 1960s in response to shortages and uneven distribution of physicians. These are also the two most common locations for physicians to work. Thank you. M. Marsdgrove33133 Member. However, according to the 2014-2024 employment projection, an . Joined Feb 10, 2005 Messages 48 You were expected to do more.) The profession of a nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) have been categorized as similar occupations. Nurse practitioners may have similar duties as a PA, but in all states, nurse practitioners can prescribe medication. Total PA school education is around 4000-5000 hours (didactic & clinical combined.) If you're among them, you'll want to make sure you're billing for them correctly and maximizing potential revenue for your practice. With an increasing shortage of health care . NURSE PRACTITIONER VS. Nurse Practitioner vs. They both assist physicians in giving care to patients. The average cost of 4 years of medical school is $200,000-$300,000, while the average cost of 2-3 years of PA school is $70,000-$90,000. Salaries are pretty comparable for critical care nurse practitioners and critical care PA's. 5. The main difference between a nurse practitioner and physician assistant is their educational requirements. What is a physician assistant? Order and interpret tests. Physician assistants earned a median annual salary of $101,480 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another important distinction is that in many states, nurse practitioners are licensed to work independently without physician supervision. Most schools are 4 semesters (2 academic years) of didactic, full-time. Their presence improves healthcare access and quality. I'm about 6 months into my first job as an RN, in a rural hospital where I work with medical inpatients, ED patients, and (to a lesser extent) post-surgical patients. Pay is Similar. A nurse practitioner, or NP, is a registered nurse who is trained to provide various health care services and, depending on state regulations, may be able to see patients and practice medicine in the same way that a doctor of medicine (MD) can. A PA works under the supervision of a physician. While nurses must also follow a doctor's orders, they are also trained to write patient care plans. Their pay is comparable, according to the BLS, which reports that the median salary among physician assistants in 2018 was $108,610, while the median salary among nurse practitioners was $107,030 . They must have an active RN license plus more advanced training and clinical experience. I wanted to hone my bedside nursing/ assessment skills prior to advancing. "A physician assistant (PA) provides medical care under the supervision of a . The median annual salary for physicians in the United States is $200,000-$300,000+ while the median annual salary for a PA is $80,000-$120,000. . PAs are more educated in disease processes, medications, treatments and formulate diagnoses and treatment plans for patients. One benefit of being a physician assistant vs. a nurse practitioner is that a physician assistant can work in any area of medicine, including emergency medicine, surgery, psychiatry, and primary care, without specializing a degree or certification. To be a PA you must have a B.S. A physician assistant, also known as a PA, is a health care professional and primary care provider under the supervision of a licensed physician.People interested in becoming a PA go through at least six years of schooling. Ditto for our clinical year (2400 hours was the minimum for clinical. Those in undergrad school may be conflicted in which career career option best matches an undergrads interests. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of registered nurses is projected to grow by 7% as of 2029. Education NP vs. PA . Do your research and definitely shadow both professions. Physician Assistants are licensed medical professionals who may work independently of the lead physician, while Nurse Practitioners are well trained, but not necessarily licensed caregivers, who must work under the close supervision of the attending doctor. Physician demand is increasing with an 8% expected employment . The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated a 31% growth in the nurse practitioner field between 2012 and 2022 ("Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant. Still, they require medical supervision from licensed medical physicians. NPs will usually work with multiple age groups. A physician assistant (PA) offers many of the same health services as physicians. I'm an RN who went into nursing with the intention of working as a psych/mental health NP down the line. Nurse practitioners are educated to serve specific populations, though the population can be as broad as family primary care. NPs follow a patient-centered course of study, that looks at the whole person, mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Additionally, they perform certain medical surgeries and operations under the supervision of a doctor/ physician. Physician Assistant: Differences in Scope of Practice. Diagnose and treat illnesses. While both careers have a very high growth rate, the growth rate for nurse practitioners is higher. (RNs also often can interpret these tests.) Being an NP provides a chance to specialize in caring for a specific population. Please keep in mind that this is a rough estimate, based on the mean wages on all the states. The physician assistants need to qualify through a general medical examination. RN to Physician Assistant: Not the most common progression, but a quality option. They work as part of a healthcare team across every medical specialty or setting. Assist in surgery. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners both study medicine but their education focuses on different aspects of the field. NPs and PA's have similar incomes and, for many students the time spent in school for either career path will be similar. Welcome to Part 1 of our series on comparing the Nurse Practitioner (NP) to Physician Assistant (PA) profession in Canada with a focus of NP vs. PAs in Ontario.