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. Melissa Green joined the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences as a full-time instructor for the Flex Program in 2018. She is currently teaching in the neuromuscular curriculum.
Prior to joining the University, Dr. Green worked as a physical therapist at Brooks Rehabilitation for 9 years, primarily in the outpatient division, however obtained experience in the inpatient rehab, skilled nursing and the mobile therapy settings treating multiple patient populations during this time. Dr. Green pursued a specialization in neurologic rehabilitation, including completion of a neurologic residency program with the Brooks Institute of Higher learning in 2014 and earned a board certification specialization in neurologic physical therapy (NCS) in 2015. Dr. Green also served as the Outpatient Neuro Program Coordinator within Brooks for 4 years. She currently continues to treat individuals with neurologic disorders in the outpatient setting.
Dr. Green is a 2009 graduate of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She also has a background in student athletic training at the University of Kentucky which she found to be a very valuable asset to her career path. She is passionate about neurologic recovery and is excited to share her professional experiences as well as facilitate learning amongst students in the program. She is a member of the APTA , FPTA, and the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy (ANPT).
