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
Dr. Maureen Johnson, PhD, MS, OT/L, BCPR, C/NDT received her bachelors and post professional Master’s in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University and her PhD in Education with a focus on Learning, Instruction, and Innovation. She has worked over 30 years with a variety of patient populations primarily focused on individuals with neurologic impairments such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injuries. Dr. Mo has worked at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, as an OT and a Neuro Educator/Clinical Specialist and Scripps Memorial Hospital, with a focus on adult rehabilitation from the Intensive Care Unit to Acute Rehabilitation. Additionally, she has worked as an OT in the Peace Corps in Paraguay, South America and routinely works with Children’s Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico.
Currently Dr. Mo is Assistant Professor and core faculty at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences on the San Marcos, California campus where she teaches Anatomy Applied to Occupation, Patient/Client Care Management, and Assistive Technology.
Dr. Mo is a frequent national and international presenter on topics related to occupational therapy education, assistive technology, interprofessional education, simulation and debriefing, and rehabilitation practice. She has been a chapter contributor in a patient care management textbook. Dr. Mo’s recent research relates to simulation, debriefing, and interprofessional education in occupational therapy education.
In addition, Dr. Mo is the Director of Classifications for the US Open of Adaptive Surfing and Head of International Classification for Para Surfing. Currently she is conducting research on the Para Surfing Classification system and sport classes.
