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
Marcia Hamilton, OTD, MSHS, OTR/L, BCP, BCTS
Interim Program Director, OT Programs—Miami, FL Campus
Dr. Marcia Hamilton has practiced as an occupational therapist for 39 years. Her clinical experience is in diverse practice settings, including early intervention, outpatient rehabilitation, public and private schools, developmental disabilities, school settings, sub-acute care, private practice and primary care.
Dr. Hamilton is Board Certified by the American Occupational Therapy Association in Pediatrics and carries additional certification in the use of NSM kinesiology tape application.
She is a proponent of integrative health and wellness programs and has presented on this subject at the World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress. She has presented most recently on population health amid COVID-19 response and recovery efforts, and is presently involved in interdisciplinary research on the impact of COVID-19 on graduate healthcare students. She most recently designed and is delivering a telehealth program to help improve occupational performance and well-being of seniors living in assisted living communities.
Dr. Hamilton received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Kean University in 1983 and her Master of Science in Health Science, Integrative Health and Wellness Programs in 2012 from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). In 2012, she was awarded the Graduate Scholar Research Award for the School of Health-related Professions at UMDNJ. She completed her clinical Doctor of Occupational Therapy in 2017 at South University.
