The field of healthcare is a broad one with different levels of opportunities and practitioners. The paper will be looking at the main differences and similarities that exist between nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (Pas) in the field of healthcare in terms of various aspects.
Looking at their roles, physician assistants are charged with the responsibility of diagnosing illnesses as well as injuries that patients might have incurred. They also carry out various medical examinations to patients and provide them with plans for treatment. The physician assistances carry out these duties with little or no supervision of the medical doctor. The PAs mostly carry out their duties as per their training scope and legal specifications which can as well be undertaken by the physician. On the other hand, the nurse practitioners also engage in diagnosing and treating various injuries and illness for patients but with a strong concentration in offering health promotion and preventive care. In most cases, they also expedite these roles autonomously with no direct supervision by the physician. In many states, the NPs do exercise their duties independently without any collaboration with the physicians ( Everett et al., 2010) .
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In terms of training, the NPs undergo training in line with the nursing model. PAs do undertake training that is in accordance with the medical model and this makes them emerge with differing perspectives and views on patient care. Patient centered model is what the nurse practitioners adhere to mostly while undergoing their training as opposed to physician assistants who tend to lean towards disease centered model. The nursing model focuses on holistic patient care and patient outcomes. This implies that the model gives more attention to the emotional and mental well being of patients as compared to their physical well being. On the other hand, the medical model gives more attention to the pathology of the disease and gives an approach that looks more into the physical and anatomy systems that make the human body. Therefore, the NPs and the PAs have varying choices of specialization as they pursue their training programs ( Hooker, Brock and Cook, 2015) .
Looking at the practice requirements, the NPs currently require a masters degree obtained from an accredited school in order to get the license of practice from the state agencies. They enroll for master’s degree in nursing. According to the American association of colleges of nursing, a nurse practitioner should have a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP). However, this requirement has failed to be fully embraced due to the current shortage of NPs. The PAs as well require a master’s degree from centre of medicine or an accredited medical school in order to get licensed. They do complete a 3 year program which involves various clinical rotations after which they graduate with a Master of Science degree in physician assistant studies ( Hooker, Brock and Cook, 2015) .
Considering the practice settings, the PAs mostly work in collaboration with physicians but this does not imply direct supervision. They can mostly be found in offices of medical doctors, public and private hospital settings, skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes. The PAs often work in standalone PA-Led clinic as well as other healthcare settings where they collaborate and work in teams with other medical practitioners and healthcare professionals. Nurse practitioners on the same note work in a variety of healthcare settings including private and public hospitals as well as skilled nursing facilities but where there is very minimal routine oversight by the physician. They mostly partner with other NPs as well as various practitioner and healthcare professionals to initiate and run NP-Led clinics ( Everett et al., 2010) .
References
Hooker, R.S., Brock, D. M. and Cook, M. (2015). Similarities and differences: Physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Journal of the American Academy of PAs , 28 (11), 1.
Everett, C. M., Schumacher, J . R. , Wright, A. M . and Smith, M .A. (2010). Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners as a Usual Source of Care . J Rural Health , 25(4), 407–414.
