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
Germaine Ferreira joined the university of St. Augustine for Health Sciences as a full-time instructor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program in 2016. She was promoted to Assistant professor in January 2019. Dr. Ferreira earned her Bachelor of Science in Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bombay in 1993 and worked as a Homoeopathic Physician in Bombay prior to migrating to the United States of America. Dr. Ferreira received her Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Texas State University in 1998. She completed her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2010 at A.T Still University of Health Sciences.
Prior to full-time status, she was a Director of Rehabilitation for 9 years for Senior Rehab Solutions and Assista Corporation in Austin. She served as a clinical Instructor for DPT and PTA students in Austin.
Throughout her career she has worked in the inpatient rehab, outpatient, long term acute care, SNF, and acute care settings with primary focus on geriatrics.
Dr. Ferreira’s academic teaching experience includes topics in physiology, pathophysiology and cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy to physical therapy students at USAHS Austin Campus’ DPT program.
She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
