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
BACKGROUND
Dr. Burke-Doe specializes in pediatric physical therapy and brings more than 20 years of physical therapy experience to her position. Prior to joining the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, she served as an assistant professor at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Burke-Doe has also served as rehabilitation director for Regency Healthcare and physical therapist in various hospital and private clinic environments including Rady Children’s Hospital, Dameron Hospital, Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc., and Sunny Days, an early intervention provider.
She published Physical Therapy Case Files: Neurological Rehabilitation (McGraw-Hill, 2013), and contributed most recently to several works including, The Color Atlas of Physical Therapy (McGraw-Hill, 2015), Pathology Implications for the Physical Therapist (Saunders Elsevier, 2015), and Neck Pain: Causes, Diagnosis and Management (Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2011).
Dr. Burke-Doe holds a California Physical Therapy License and is a California Children’s Services paneled physical therapist, certified grant writer, and certified grant reviewer. She is also certified by Flinders University in Chronic Condition Self-Management. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA), and is on a number of state and national committees, including the CPTA Education Committee and the CPTA Delegate.
