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
Prior to joining the university, she held administrative positions in several health care facilities during her 30-year career. She also started and managed several health-related businesses. At the University of Central Florida, she served as an instructor and lecturer in the doctoral program in Physical Therapy and the Department of Health Management and Informatics. She was also the assistant director of the Physical Therapy program. Her clinical experience includes working as director of Rehabilitation Services at Florida Hospital East Orlando, a physical therapist and clinical coordinator at the Orlando Sports Medicine Center, director of clinical services at the Center for Orthopedic Physical Therapy and Rehab, and a physical therapist at Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida. For more than a decade, she was CEO of Orlando Physical Therapy, which offered outpatient and home health services.
Dr. Schack-Dugre’ has been a presenter at professional conferences across the United States, including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting and Annual Conference, and the Florida Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference. She has also received numerous research grants.
She is an active volunteer with the Florida Executive Women association and the APTA. She is also an APTA Leadership Mentor in the Institute for Leadership in Physical Therapy. For five years, she served on the board of Seniors First, a nonprofit community agency. Dr. Schack-Dugre’ is currently pursuing her EdD at the university.
