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
Lindsey Johnston, PT, DPT, teaches courses in patient/client care management and physical therapy for the integumentary and lymphatic system. Prior to joining the university, she practiced full time in an acute care setting for more than nine years and for two years in inpatient rehabilitation. During her time in the acute setting, she implemented program development for the physical therapy program for continuous quality improvement and built out an acute orthopedic unit with a focus on optimizing post-operative care. She also held numerous administrative duties as a clinical coordinator for rehabilitation with oversite of therapy faculty, hospital staff, and volunteer programs.
Dr. Johnston was also a clinical coordinator for clinical education (CCCE) for eight years and served as a clinical instructor for over 15 students during that time, including DPT and PTA programs. She has been on numerous advisory boards for hospital development and consultations for hospital-based levels of distinctions and centers of excellence. She is in the PhD in Health Service in Leadership program at Walden University.
