Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are advanced healthcare practitioners with similar responsibilities, such as diagnosing illnesses and prescribing medications. However, their training and paths toward certification differ in significant ways. This blog post unpacks the key differences between NPs and PAs to help you determine which career path best aligns with your goals. What Is a Nurse Practitioner? A nurse practitioner (NP) is a licensed clinician who provides comprehensive healthcare to patients of all ages. An NP can work in virtually any healthcare setting, diagnosing patient conditions and prescribing medications. As of October 2022, nurse practitioners have full practice authority in 27 states, meaning that they can practice Read more
Tia Hughes, DrOT, MBA, OTR/L
Associate Dean of the College of Rehabilitative Sciences for Occupational Therapy
Dr. Tia Hughes joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in June 2020 as Associate Dean of the College of Rehabilitative Sciences for Occupational Therapy. Previously, Dr. Hughes was a faculty member and academic leader at health sciences university in Florida, serving as the institution’s program director for the occupational therapy programs. Her clinical experience includes settings such as acute care hospitals, outpatient clinics, inpatient rehab hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and public schools. Dr. Hughes’s research interests include adult physical rehabilitation, disabled driving, OT in the penal system, and vision therapy.
She is a member of the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education and has been published by local and state organizations. Dr. Hughes also has authored several chapters in Occupational Therapy for Children and Youth under IDEA, 3rd Ed. (2007), Foundations of Theory and Practice for the Occupational Therapy Assistant (2017) and Guest Editor for DiZazzo-Miller & Pociask’s Preparing for The Occupational Therapy Assistant National Board Exam: 45 Days and Counting (2017).
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Florida at Gainesville, a Master of Business Administration with emphasis on health care administration from Southern Adventist University and a Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Nova Southeastern University.
