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. Foy joined the University of Saint Augustine in January, 2020, in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) program. Dr. Foy earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 1985 from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She completed her Master’s degree in Communication Science & Disorders in 1989 from the University of Vermont. In 2019, she earned her PhD in Disability Studies and Community Rehabilitation from the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Dr. Foy’s experience includes practicing in Vermont and in Canada for over 20 years as a speech-language pathologist and teaching speech-language courses at the college level in Canada. Dr. Foy has served both pediatric and adult populations in a variety of settings such as schools, hospitals and in private practice. Dr. Foy has worked in higher education both as faculty and as the coordinator of accessibility services supporting students with speech-language/learning and communication challenges.
Dr. Foy’s areas of interest include child language development, speech sound disorders, school-based language and literary services, augmentative/alternative communication, a sense of belonging as integral to inclusion for individuals with communication disorders, higher education teaching and learning, and interprofessional education. Trish most recently has worked in Canada and is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for Canada’s national speech-language association, Speech-Audiology Canada.
