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. Macy Burr has a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and a minor in psychology. Prior to starting occupational therapy school, she worked in outpatient rehabilitation and mental health settings. Dr. Burr graduated from Stanbridge University with a Master of Science in occupational therapy and began her career as an occupational therapist working in outpatient pediatrics and home health. She has experience in school-based practice, providing services in both traditional and non-traditional school settings for students in elementary school, middle school and high school.
Dr. Burr has published a study titled, “The influence of a therapy dog on a pediatric therapy organization” in the Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice journal. With an interest in how animals impact health and wellbeing, Dr. Burr teams with her therapy dog to provide occupational therapy interventions and to volunteer in a variety of settings. Dr. Burr has completed continuing education in dog behavior and training and animal-assisted interventions. She and her dog are a registered therapy dog team through a national therapy dog organization, and Dr. Burr is a member of Animal Assisted Intervention International.
In addition, Dr. Burr is a Certified Autism Specialist through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards and has completed the Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program (ATACP) through California State University, Northridge.
Dr. Burr joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS)
as contributing faculty in 2019 and transitioned to core faculty in 2022. Dr. Burr has taught in courses such as: Administration and Management, Health and Wellness, and Pediatrics. She also served as a lab assistant in the Assistive Technology course. In addition to teaching at USAHS, Dr. Burr works as a consultant for early intervention programs in Orange County, CA.
