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
Cat Daniel earned a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) from the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) to MOT bridge program at Western New Mexico University. As a COTA, her areas of practice ranged from a private practice outpatient hand clinic, hospital setting (in acute, inpatient, outpatient and day program facility) at St. David’s Medical Center, skilled nursing facility and pediatric school-based practice. The bulk of Daniel’s practice has been as a civil servant in the public school system as a related service for 13 years, when she worked in two school districts in the Central Texas Region. She joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences as contributing faculty in May 2021 and transitioned into full-time faculty on the Austin, TX campus in July 2021.
