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
Marcio dos Santos jointed to the USAHS faculty team in Miami as an Associate Professor on August 05 of 2019. He graduated in Physical Therapy and obtained his Master of Science in Human Physiology in Brazil. Upon obtaining a PhD in Rehabilitation Science from University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Dr dos Santos worked as a postdoctoral research associate for nearly three years in the Movement Science laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He served as an Assistant Professor and researcher to the Departments of Physical Therapy of the Santa Catarina State University, SC, Brazil and University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, US. Dr. dos Santos has a long term higher scholarly activity by teaching diversified courses and mentoring several bachelors, Master of Science, doctorate and PhD students, developing research and producing scientific knowledge. He is a recipient of a couple of research grants and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles in the physical therapy, biomechanics, and motor control fields. He also has been serving as a peer reviewer for high impact scientific journals including but not limited to Experimental Brain Research, Gait and Posture and Clinical Biomechanics. Dr. dos Santos has extensive clinical experience using a broad range of manual therapy techniques and therapeutic exercises for restoring movement and mitigating disabilities of patients with orthopedic and neurological conditions. Dr. dos Santos worked as a physical therapist (PT) and manager in two large institutions in Brazil for several years and as a Physical Therapist in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic in Orlando area, Florida. At the USAHS, he is currently the leader instructor of the Differential Diagnosis course and lab instructor of the Gross Anatomy I, Biophysical Agents and musculoskeletal III (spine) courses.
