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. Joseph Leech earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2007. He subsequently earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2010. Dr. Leech returned to USAHS to advance his manual physical therapy skills and successfully achieved his Manual Therapy Certification (MTC) in 2013.
After practicing exclusively in the outpatient primary care setting for 3 years, he became a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedics (OCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) in 2014. He later completed a 3-year fellowship in orthopaedic manual physical therapy through Evidence in Motion and became a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT) in 2016. He has experience in the acute/critical care, home health, subacute inpatient rehab, and outpatient orthopaedic settings. Dr. Leech is currently pursuing his DSc in physical therapy through Bellin College with a research emphasis in factors that predict pain intensity in patients with acute and chronic musculoskeletal complaints.
Dr. Leech is a core musculoskeletal faculty member on the Austin campus, teaching in both the entry-level residential program. His clinical and research interests include the conservative management of spinal pain, chronic pain conditions, and the application of a biopsychosocial model in the rehab setting.
He has been an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) since 2008, an Orthopaedic section member since 2010, an Education section member since 2016, and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) since 2013.
