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
Dr. Gabriel Somarriba joined the faculty in 2009 as an adjunct professor on the St. Augustine campus. His area of clinical specialization is pediatrics, with a focus on Cerebral Palsy. Dr. Somarriba has more than 10 years of clinical experience: As an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, he launched an outpatient Pediatric clinic that served a dual role of patient care and clinical research. He’s served as a physical therapist at Holtz Children’s Hospital working with pediatric neurologists on innovative approaches for the management of Spastic Cerebral Palsy.
Dr. Somarriba’s work in the community includes roles such as exercise physiologist and physical therapist for the Miami-Dade County Parks and Open Spaces where he developed community-based physical activity programming for children. He is also a Clinical Director for the Special Olympics, FunFitness program.
He is a licensed physical therapist and a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Pediatric and Education Section. Dr. Somarriba is published in peer-reviewed journals in various topics including spinal cord injuries, chronic conditions in pediatrics and interventions for adult neurological conditions. He also serves as a reviewer for the various peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Somarriba’s current scholarly agenda focuses on assessment and interventions to improve the function of individuals with neurological conditions.
