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
Fitness Tips: In Perfect Form
The joke about people who do CrossFit—the popular high-intensity strength-training and conditioning regimen—is that they can’t go more than a few minutes without mentioning it. What’s not so funny are the injuries that many of these athletes endure when they fail to use proper form or build core strength.
Dr. Adam Guiliano ’08, a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) grad, knows this well. He’s the founder and owner of InMotion Fitness & Physical Therapy in Bonita Springs, Florida, and head clinician at a CrossFit gym. “The most common injuries I see are lumbar strains, disc herniation, and patella tendinitis,” he says. “They are primarily due to incorrect form, which stems from weak stabilizing muscles.”
These details don’t just matter for tough-as- nails CrossFitters. Everyone can benefit—and avoid frustrating and debilitating injuries—by strengthening these muscles. Guiliano shares how:
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| 1: Hip Abduction Walk: Put a rubber exercise band under your feet and hold the other end with your hands near your waist. Keeping you stomach tight and your knees straight, take a step to the side with your heels down, then return to your starting position and switch sides. | 2: Hip Hike: Stand with one foot on top of a weight plate or other two-inch, firm platform. Place your other foot on the floor. Keeping your stomach tight and your legs and back straight, lift the lower leg so that it first hovers next to the other foot, then lift your hip to raise the foot to ankle height. |
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3: Transverse Abdominals: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Pull your belly button into the floor with a straight, not curved, back to contract your transverse abdominals. |
4: Bird Dog: Stand on your hands and knees. Extend one arm straight out and the opposite leg behind while keeping your stomach tight and back straight. Switch sides. |
Many people in our community are wellness experts! If you have tips about how to stay healthy you’d like to share with our audience, please email [email protected].
