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
Shannon Logan, originally from Akron, Ohio, graduated from Marietta College with her BS in Sports Medicine. Upon graduation, she went to Graduate School at University of Illinois. While at Illinois, she worked as a Graduate Assistant with collegiate wheelchair athletes/Paralympic athletes and instructing in the Athletic Training curriculum while earning a MS in Kinesiology. She returned to Ohio and received her MS in Physical Therapy at Walsh University and completed her tDPT from The University of Montana. She is currently Core Faculty with the Flex DPT program on the St. Augustine campus and pursuing her PhD in Physical Therapy from NOVA Southeastern University. Dr. Logan is also a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy.
