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What is the better profession if you want to be close with your patients, PA or NP ?
I’m trying to decide what college to go to and which medical career path I want to choose #career
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Sanober’s Answer
Hi Sophia!
In my experience working in a hospital setting, NP's usually spend more time with patients. While NP's have a different scope of practice than PA's, they both include direct patient care at the advanced practice level, including working independently or collaboratively. NP's usually specialize in a certain area of care, such as pediatrics, midwifery, geriatrics, and focus solely on that area. I would suggest looking into what areas of healthcare interest you and choose a route of schooling and practice based on that :)
Hope this helps :)
Sanober
In my experience working in a hospital setting, NP's usually spend more time with patients. While NP's have a different scope of practice than PA's, they both include direct patient care at the advanced practice level, including working independently or collaboratively. NP's usually specialize in a certain area of care, such as pediatrics, midwifery, geriatrics, and focus solely on that area. I would suggest looking into what areas of healthcare interest you and choose a route of schooling and practice based on that :)
Hope this helps :)
Sanober
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Sophia when considering a physician assistants (PAs) vs. nurse practitioners (NPs), a PA requires a much longer training and experience program than a NP. Becoming a nurse is part of the training to become a nurse practitioner. Nurses are highly valued in the medical profession. When deciding on a nurse or PA, you should determine which one would best treat the health level you want to have with your patients. While NP and PA are both medical professionals, the biggest difference between a PA and NP is how they practice medicine. Although some rules and regulations vary by state, nurse practitioners can generally act as primary healthcare providers. They can usually work more independently while making more clinical decisions than a physician assistant who must practice medicine as a part of a medical team. While nurse practitioners often consult with other physicians and doctors, physician assistants must be under the physician or surgeon's direct supervision.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT VS NURSE PRACTITIONER EDUCATION
• PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT – An aspiring physician assistant must first earn a bachelor's degree in an area of science. Following this, students apply to and enter a physician's assistant program. This degree program includes a mixture of classroom training, laboratory work and practical training. Most schools offer 2-year, graduate-level PA programs leading to a master's degree; however, some schools offer programs leading to a bachelor's degree or certificate. Many physician assistant programs are affiliated with a medical school or teaching hospital. A PA sees patients under the supervision of a licensed physician. Physician's assistants conduct physical exams to diagnose and treat patients.
• NURSE PRACTITIONER – Nurse practitioners need to receive a nursing degree from an accredited bachelor's or associate's program. A bachelor's degree is a prerequisite for graduate school. All nurse practitioners must earn a master's degree in nursing (MSN) or higher to work as an advanced practice nurse. A nurse practitioner can expect to complete an additional 600 hours of clinical experience. The clinical experiences are sufficiently varied to match the particular focus preferred. The most common focus for an NP is a family practice, but other specialties like neonatal, nurse midwifery, or women's health may be chosen.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT VS NURSE PRACTITIONER SALARY AND JOB OUTLOOK
• PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected much faster than average job growth of 31% for physician assistants during the 2020-2030 decade. The average Physician Assistant salary is $101,500 as of January 29, 2021, but the salary range typically falls between $89,900 and $117,500. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.
• NURSE PRACTITIONER – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected much faster than average job growth of 45% for Nurse practitioners during the 2020-2030 decade. The average Nurse Practitioner salary in the United States is $111,000 as of January 29, 2021, but the range typically falls between $103,000 and $121,000. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.
Hope this was helpful Sophia
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT VS NURSE PRACTITIONER EDUCATION
• PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT – An aspiring physician assistant must first earn a bachelor's degree in an area of science. Following this, students apply to and enter a physician's assistant program. This degree program includes a mixture of classroom training, laboratory work and practical training. Most schools offer 2-year, graduate-level PA programs leading to a master's degree; however, some schools offer programs leading to a bachelor's degree or certificate. Many physician assistant programs are affiliated with a medical school or teaching hospital. A PA sees patients under the supervision of a licensed physician. Physician's assistants conduct physical exams to diagnose and treat patients.
• NURSE PRACTITIONER – Nurse practitioners need to receive a nursing degree from an accredited bachelor's or associate's program. A bachelor's degree is a prerequisite for graduate school. All nurse practitioners must earn a master's degree in nursing (MSN) or higher to work as an advanced practice nurse. A nurse practitioner can expect to complete an additional 600 hours of clinical experience. The clinical experiences are sufficiently varied to match the particular focus preferred. The most common focus for an NP is a family practice, but other specialties like neonatal, nurse midwifery, or women's health may be chosen.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT VS NURSE PRACTITIONER SALARY AND JOB OUTLOOK
• PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected much faster than average job growth of 31% for physician assistants during the 2020-2030 decade. The average Physician Assistant salary is $101,500 as of January 29, 2021, but the salary range typically falls between $89,900 and $117,500. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.
• NURSE PRACTITIONER – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected much faster than average job growth of 45% for Nurse practitioners during the 2020-2030 decade. The average Nurse Practitioner salary in the United States is $111,000 as of January 29, 2021, but the range typically falls between $103,000 and $121,000. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.
Hope this was helpful Sophia
Updated
Amanda’s Answer
Hello Sophia! John has given some great information about PA/NP and the process of becoming each one.
I work as a CCMA in an Internal Medicine clinic. I work with MD's, APRN's, and PA's.
It is wonderful that you want to be able to connect with your future patients. You can make the decision to connect with patients no matter what career path you choose. I think that you should put some consideration into what type of facility you would like to work in. It may be harder to connect in the way you want in a hospital setting, while working in a clinic makes it easier for you to achieve this.
Best of luck!
I work as a CCMA in an Internal Medicine clinic. I work with MD's, APRN's, and PA's.
It is wonderful that you want to be able to connect with your future patients. You can make the decision to connect with patients no matter what career path you choose. I think that you should put some consideration into what type of facility you would like to work in. It may be harder to connect in the way you want in a hospital setting, while working in a clinic makes it easier for you to achieve this.
Best of luck!
Updated
Megan’s Answer
Hi Sophia! It's great that you are thinking about a career that will allow you to be close with your patients. With regards to spending time with patients, NPs and PAs can be very similar! The path to becoming a Nurse Practitioner includes first becoming a nurse, and then going on to NP school. Becoming a Physician Assistant includes getting a bachelor's degree, typically in a science-related field, and then going on to PA school. Many PA schools also require a certain number of direct patient care hours, so some students take time before PA school to work in healthcare and accumulate hours. It varies depending on the state, but NPs and PAs are pretty similar end goals. One difference is that PAs can decide to switch specialties at any point in their career. I was also deciding between the two at one point, and what helped a lot was to shadow a few different PAs and NPs to really see what a day in their practice was like! I hope this helps!