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. Matthew Daugherty is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and a former program administrator. He has been a licensed, practicing physical and occupational therapist since 2007.
He received his Manual Therapy Certification in 2009 and completed his American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) fellowship in 2010. In 2012, he became an Orthopaedic Certified Specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). He is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the Florida Physical Therapy Association (FPTA), the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, the AAOMPT, and the ABPTS Specialization Academy of Content Experts (SACE). He has served as a state delegate for the APTA, the district chair of the FPTA, and is part of the APTA’s Grassroots Advocacy Network.
Dr. Daugherty has presented his research at the both AAOMPT and AOTA national conferences, the APTA Combined Sections Meeting, and FPTA conferences. He has published in both the physical therapy and business realms and is also the author of numerous book chapters. He completed his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at Walden University in 2018.
