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. Priya Karakkattil is an Assistant Professor at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences on the Dallas, TX campus. She has been a physical therapist for over 20 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India, a master’s degree and a PhD in physical therapy from Texas Woman’s University. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and Trainer with Brain Injury Association of America and has worked primarily in neuro rehabilitation.
Dr. Karakkattil’s research interests include effects of different designs of ankle foot orthoses and functional electrical stimulation in improving gait and upper extremity function in patients with neurological disorders. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and she was part of two funded grant projects.
