Is an NP the same thing as a PA?
The third question I get before people finally feel like the understand my profession if they previously had little to no knowledge of it, is if an NP is the same thing as a PA (Physician Assistant)? And the answer is that although they may do similar tasks, they are not exactly the same.
A PA, similar to an MD, follows the medical model of thinking vs. the NP who follows the nursing model of thinking when approaching patient care. A PA also practices under an MD’s license, whereas an NP practices under his or her own license (i.e. independently). In my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE (this is definitely not 100% true) I tend to find NPs in more of a primary care setting and PAs in a more acute care setting. People share with me that “Oh the newspapers say that they’re looking for PAs to work in the hospitals and that there are lots of jobs for PAs there”. I usually chuckle and calmly mention that “I think that’s great for the PAs and their job market! Glad to hear there is such a good outlook for them. But my plan isn’t to work in the hospital, but instead in primary care or a “doctor’s office” and the newspapers say the same things about NPs in this setting. There is a lot of room in this world for both professions”. I don’t take offense to any of these quesitons, it is simply a misunderstanding about a fairly new profession and I don’t mind doing a bit of educating.
Short and sweet post today. If you have any other questions about my personal experience about becoming an NP or about the NP job in general, feel free to ask!
~love always~
Jen
