Physician Assistant vs Nurse Practitioner: What's the Difference?

Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant? You may be trying to decide which path to take or simply what is the difference. In this video you will hear the biggest differences between the two (PA vs NP) professions.

About me:

I’m Michele Neskey, aka The Posh PA. Welcome to my channel! My mission is to provide personalized guidance, education, and motivation to build confidence and promote wellness for aspiring physician assistants and beyond.

Having been a PA for 17+ years and helped hundreds of students gain acceptance into PA school, I understand the admissions process. I know what they are looking for, and I can help you tailor every component to make you shine, giving you the BEST chance of getting accepted to a program. But it doesn't end there. I create personalized plans for PA students and practicing PAs including test-taking strategy for the PANCE, contract negotiations, and tools to overcome and prevent provider burnout.

My goal is to get you into a physician assistant (PA) school & survive the rigorous program, help you prevent burnout as a practicing PA, and help you take care of yourself so you can be the best version of YOU for your patients, family, and most importantly YOU!

#physicianassistant #nursepractitioner

[theposhpa]

If you have any questions let me know :

[juanleonardo]

I am an NP myself but I can see from the comments that there's a lot of insecure NPs out her lol. Let's face it, PAs are trained like MDs - the medical model schooling. Majority of NPs like myself obtained it online, which is not bad. But if we are talking about who is more highly trained and knowledgeable to be a provider, we all know it is the PA. MDs prefer PAs than NPs and that's the truth.
I am out here to spread facts than being too defensive and insecure LOL.

[jennleblanc]

These are both valued healthcare professionals. Trained differently and have different models of care and focus. Kudos to all of our PAs and NPs still working in this crazy healthcare system. I have been a NP for 23 years.

[jnursing]

Critical Care RN in NP school here:


Everyone here is so disrespectful. NP’s and PA’s are amazing providers. Most NP’s have a lot of years of experience at the bedside and even critical care. Which if anyone didn’t know, nurses tend to catch some things MD’s and other providers miss. With that being said, having that clinical background as an RN at least 3 plus years before becoming an NP, I wouldn’t go with a PA who there could be a chance jumped straight into a Masters degree from being a business man or an artist, or anything else but a clinician. So that’s why NPs are a bit more trusted. Yes PA’s have extensive training AKA 2 years only just like most NP programs, not online ones! But at the end of the day 2 years would be there only “experience” in a clinical setting if they weren’t any type of clinician before entering PA school and barely because first year is didactic only and second year is clinical rotations. In order to be an NP, in a good school, you must be an RN with bedside experience for at least 2 years. So if anything an NP would have much more clinical exposure anyway than a PA, who was a an accountant who got their undergrad health sciences degree before deciding to become a PA. So y’all have to stop being disrespectful to NPs and PAs as well both are amazing providers and they are an extension to the interdisciplinary team. It’s called collaborative care delivery and for y’all that don’t even have a degree or a medical background, get out of the comments cause you absolutely know nothing about the medical community. It’s always the ones that have not achieved the least bit of education that have something to say.

[neenah]

FNP for 30 years, RN for 50. I've worked in Infertility, Urgent Care, Geriatrics, Palliative Care, Pharmaceutical Research, Internal Medicine, Gynecology, GI, and a Women and Children shelter and lastly ran an outpatient covid + clinic for individuals at high risk for death/ ICU. It is really not true that you cannot switch your focus. I also suture and perform procedures. In 15 minutes, neither of us has time to be "holistic" when prescribing HTN medications. We all follow the same principles, ie, no beta blockers for severe asthmatics, IDDM, etc. My friend is a PA and her undergrad is in Psychology. Given that I worked in Boston hospitals for 11 years before NP school, I already understood the "medical models" of illnesses, how to read EKGs and rhythms, medications, their uses, contraindications and side effects, how to perform a neuro exam, and heart and lung sounds. Things may be different now. The proof is in the pudding when you graduate. I'm happy to say that I retired as an NP this year and happily work in summer camps as a happy camper RN if I fell like it.

[Dezzy]

My brother is a PA, and he said he sometimes feel like it was a waste. I asked why? He said he didn’t feel prepared upon graduation, and like me, we are very educated individuals. That’s why I decided to choose the NP route. I however, do think it’s important that we work together in the field, we already have the MD thinking we’re trying to steal their JOB! 😂

[pookariah]

NP here, thanks for not disparaging NPs. We are here simply because there is a huge gap in patient access to providers, due to the fact that many MDs are choosing to go into specialties. I am absolutely shocked at what I read on MD forums about their opinion of nurse practitioners. We are here to assist and augment the MDs practice because doctors asked for help in the 1960s. That’s why the position was created in the first place. I have worked in both the primary care and hospital setting and as far as I can tell MD utilize us in the same way.

[jann]

I am not a student for either profession; but, I am doing research since most of my medical visits are now managed by either a PA or NP. If there is a doctor in the office, I've yet to see them. Anyway, with no insult intended, (especially as I see a lot of PAs without concern) it seems that NPs have more practical, hands on experience with a variety of illnesses since they were a nurse first. My niece is heading to PA school but has only been a CNA as part of her requirement & that doesn't seem to be exactly the same. Your video offers some clarity but.... Thank you.

[dr.deborahjenksdnp]

You did a fairly good job of breaking down the differences, however, NPs are not supervised by physicians in over half the states.

[Nursejayd]

Overall good video. One significant difference noted was incorrect. Not all Nurse Practitioners work under the supervision of a Physician. In many states, and progressively more every year NPs have autonomous practice as governed by their respective state.

[isaiahburns]

I love your videos and I think an interesting topic to cover would be crna vs caa

[sunshine-nksv]

Often these discussions are down on nps for having less clinical hours. Many np applicants have been nurses for years already, that is valuable experience. I was a laboratory scientist and worked RN pool working between three major hospitals for over a dozen years before becoming np, how many clinical hours would that equivicate to?

[Keylond]

Is there any such thing as becoming a NP and a PA have a half and half mix of both professions? Because there are very big likes and dislikes to both . I want as much knowledge into both backgrounds because both are needed just as much as the other .

[christopherralphbataoil]

Most nurses who go to NP school worked as an RN at bedside and side by side with MD. Also, they had patient experience so to discredit that they have less clinical hours is irrelevant. Most of them have seen the ins and outs of healthcare system.

[pabbi]

may i know how to be a physician assistant after nursing program? thanks

[AppearedFromCoast-qopx]

A High school graduate from Canada, Alberta . I'm also looking into PA path here. So just wandering how big of difference between US And Canadian path. There is so much info about PA's in United States, but not so much about those in Canada, lol.

If there's going to be some PA from Alberta seeing this comment, I really like to hear their opinion, how long it took, how much different is it from US physician assistants and whatever that may be also interesting. Would love to hear.

[The_Temple]

Philosophy of care differs substantially between the two

[uniqvishal]

I literally confuse what i should do after my bsc ?any suggestion ?

[stephaniephillips]

Thank you so much. You have articulated the differences very well. Do you know if it is doable to end up in Neonatology as a PA?

[uniqvishal]

I have completed my Bsc after that can i do assistant doctor like PA? Whats the next ...we need to cross any compitive exams? Chances are there ro do assistant doctor after completion of bsc cource ?