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. Manuel (Tony) A. Domenech is the Program Director of and a Professor for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. He attained a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Kansas, 1976, Master of Science in Advance Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Virginia, 1982, Doctor of Education degree from Oklahoma State University, 1985, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, 2008. Dr. Domenech is an American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) certified specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.
Previously, he served as Regional Dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences and Assistant Program Director/Associate Professor of the DPT program for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; Physical Medicine Chair of the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Orthotic Clinics at Travis Air Force Base; Director of Physical Therapy Clinic at Lackland Air Force Base; Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education of the US Army-Baylor Graduate Physical Therapy program; Program Director of the Air Force’s Physical Therapy Assistant program; and Director of the Physical Therapy Clinic at Tinker Air Force Base. He served twenty-two years in the United States Air Force and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, June 2004.
His research has been published in professional journals such as Physical Therapy, USAF Medical Service Digest, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and PM&R. He served as an ABPTS Board/Orthopaedic Specialty Council member and a Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) Examination Development Committee member. Presently, he serves as an onsite-reviewer for the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), a FSBPT Education Committee member, and a Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners board member.
