What exactly is the difference between a nurse practitioner and a physician's assistant?
Asked by •°o.O.nenna.O.o°•
I know that a nurse practitioner is probably the highest achievable position for a nurse, one step above a BSN (Master's). They are allowed to prescribe drugs to people, etc. However, a physician's assistant does the exact same thing. What is the difference between the two? Could anyone explain? Thank you!

Best Answer:
A major difference is the way they are trained, PA's are trained in the Medical Model, While NP's are trained in the Nursing Model. What the difference is between those is a whole other question, but they are very different. Another large difference is where PA's and NP's work. NP's will primarily be found in Family Practice, and womens health. That isn' t to say that they have to work in these areas but that is the most common. PA's work in every specialty. PA's are also often 1st assist in surgeries while NP's are usually not involved in surgeries at all. Schooling before hand is also another major differenc. Pre-PA's can major in anything as long as the pre-requisits are met for the PA programs they are applying to. Pre-NP's have to get a bachelors in Nursing in order to pursue a career as an NP. I could go on, but this should help. If you have further questions feel free to email me, or i suggest this website as a resource about PA's. www.physicianassistantforum.com
Future PA starting PA school in JULY!!!!!
Answered by answerman

read these two articles pretty sure its the differences in schooling and certifications@!! nurse practicioner http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/nursepractitioner.shtml PA http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos081.htm to me i always thought the PA was higher up, but looks like the RN-NP has more training before they start working and teh PA has on going training. The PA still makes excellent money though!
Answered by Laura S

A nurses practitioner is something similar to that of a physician assistant. In some certain areas i.e.: smaller rural areas the nurse practitioner might also be able to do some physician assistant duties. These are closely related, but the physician assistant would still make a little bit more money than that of a nursing practitioner.
Answered by mtwaites

Actually, there are a few Doctorate Degrees for Nursing: Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Nursing Science. That being said, I have a pretty tasteless joke about the difference between CRNPs and PAs: A CRNP is a nurse and a half while a PA is only half a doctor... Anyway, The difference is in their training. Both are Master's Degree programs and they both, generally, end up performing nearly the same functions. However, a nurse is brought up to treat patients, not illnesses. We are advocates for our patients when no one else is, no matter what our credentials. Hope this helps
Answered by MHnurseC

PAs have to have doctors sign off on everything they do. In some states NPs can function independently. In some states, NPs and PAs complete the exact same tasks and there is almost no difference. The major difference is the background. NPs are advance practice nurses, whereas a PA may have a background in a Biology, or pre-med. It's a little easier for people in other professions to switch into medicine to be a PA bc they don't have to be a nurse first, they just need the prereqs to get into PA school. NPs are trained in the nursing model, PAs are trained in the medical model. The nursing model is more preventative and holistic, the medical/disease model is more like "fix what's broken" and it's very focused. NPs also learn how to diagnose and treat medical conditions, but their focus is seeing the whole person and how other aspects, like social and financial and emotional needs are influencing the patient's health. That's the fastest I can explain this. This is a really good question to google because a lot of PA/NP school websites have comparisons between the two.
Answered by oceansky