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Curricula comparison between Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants
Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant
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I agreed that there are differences in educational background and curriculums between nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), and it seems like NPs receive the best educations that are available to them because the curriculums combined both medical and nursing models, but I often feel I am not as prepared as the PAs in regarding to manage higher acuity patients or perform different procedures in clinical practice. This feeling of inadequacy was one of my motivations of returning to school. NPs and PAs are function similarly in our institution and our job descriptions are exactly the same. However, there is a fundamental difference between NPs and PAs, and the difference is in the education. In general, the content of education curriculum and core knowledge …show more content…
On the other hand, PA students have an average of 2,078 clinical hours under supervision before graduation (Bednar et al, 2007). For example, the University of South Alabama offers both NP and PA education. At the end of the program, NP students receive 45 didactic hours and 660 clinical hours while the PA students have 68 didactic hours and 2,120 clinical hours (Bednar et al., 2007). Although I had years of nurse experiences, these experiences were not considered as advanced practice. The experiences were complementary to my NP preparation in graduate school, but often time, I did not feel they were applicable because I did not have to formulate a medical diagnosis and manage health problem. Despite the differences, NPs and PAs are an integral part of the health care, and we all work together to improve the access and quality of health care throughout the
In 2011, Barbara Safriet published an article “Federal options for maximizing the value of Advanced Practice Nurses in providing quality, cost-effective health care” from a legal perspective. The article focused on the benefits of utilizing Advance Practice Nurses to the full extent of their abilities as well as the current barriers that APNs encounter in their practice. The aim of this paper is to discuss two regulatory provisions to full deployment of APNs in current health care system, as well as three principle causes of current barriers to removal of the restrictive provisions for the APN. Furthermore, I will discuss the critical knowledge presented in the article and how it relates the APN practice. This article was incorporated into a two-year initiative was launched Institute of Medicine (IOM) and by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in 2008 which addressed the urgency to assess and transform the nursing profession.
These programs are usually available at the master's level and often require applicants to have bachelor's degrees and some amount of experience in the healthcare profession to gain admission. Many physician assistants serve as emergency medical technicians, nurses or paramedics before pursuing admission to physician assistant programs. Physician assistant programs generally take 26 months of full-time study to complete. During the first year, students focus on classroom instruction in medical science and clinical preparation. Courses may include pathology, pediatrics, diagnosis, surgical technique, emergency medicine, pharmacology and research methods. Afterward, the curriculum shifts to focus mostly on clinical rotations in various disciplines, such as general surgery, gynecology and behavioral medicine. During these rotations, students gain first-hand experience in patient care under the supervision of licensed physicians. Physician assistants are required to be licensed by the state in which they practice. Along with completion of an accredited training program, the licensing process entails passage of the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, evaluates fundamental medical and surgical comprehension (www.nccpa.net). PA’s who pass the PANCE may use the Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C) designation. Physician assistants must earn 100 continuing education credits every two years. They are also required to pass the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam every six
The physician assistant is a team player in the medical world, working daily with surgeons, physicians, therapists, and many other health care professionals. Similar to the job description of physicians, PAs see patients, take medical histories, preform physical exams, make diagnoses, order and interpret tests, and develop treatment plans (Ludwig). A physician assistant, nowadays, may even perform procedures that were once performed exclusively by physicians. Because every PA must have a supervising physician who oversees their work, it is assumed by many that PAs are “assistants to doctors”, however, that is not the case because a vast majority of PAs work independently. The extent of supervision by a physician varies depending on location and branch of medicine. Although, a physician assistant may carry out much of the same roles as a physician would, the amount of schooling required to become a PA is nearly half as many as that of a physician. Physician assistant programs nationwide require an undergraduate degree in one of many sciences, such as biology, and certain
At Seton Hill, I will be a student of the 5-year physician assistant program. From visiting campus and interviewing with the PA program staff, I am confident that Seton Hill will shape me into a competent and compassionate medical professional. Furthermore, I am confident that my fellow students and I will have an opportunity to make a difference in the community. A main pillar of the physician assistant career is catering the underserved populations. With a simple internet search, anyone can deduce
Nurse practitioners (NPs), one type of advanced practice nurses, are licensed by the states where they practice and certified by private boards. Nurse practitioners hold advanced degrees in clinical practice and function in a wide variety of settings and across the life span. They provide a broad array of healthcare services ranging from managing treatment plans, to prescribing medications, to implementing health promotion services. As of 2014, 205,000 NPs were licensed in the United States with 86% of those prepared to deliver care to patients in primary care settings (NP Facts, 2015). The progression of the Nurse Practitioner movement that occurred in the 1960 and 1970s emerged as a creative and
During this same time, Medicaid and Medicare programs were growing rapidly and increasing the number of individuals covered, such as to low income individuals, the disabled, and the elderly. The abrupt expansion of coverage caused the demand of primary care services to skyrocket. With physicians no longer able to meet the growing demand, nurses stepped to provide medical care, and soon believed that were qualified to broaden their role and scope of abilities. In 1965, a nurse and physician, Loretta Ford and Henry Silver, recognized the need for a training program, and developed the first curriculum for nurse practitioners. Since then, the role of nurse practitioner has rapidly increased in response to the expanding and growing need for accessible and affordable care and is currently ranked as one of the fastest growing professions in healthcare.
Neonatal Nursing has been around since the 1960s. It is a form of nursing that is referred to as the first twenty-eight days of life. Nursing is an important job for everyone because, when you are sick or hurt a nurse can heal your wound or prescribe medicine if they are authorized to. The demand for nurses is expected to grow so anyone that wants to become a nurse will always be able to find a job. The employment rate for nursing as of 2012-2022 is expected to grow nineteen percent which is higher than average.
Most APNs or NPs posses a master’s degree; however the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) member institutions voted to change the current level of preparation for advanced nursing practice from a masters degree to a doctorate level by 2015”. “An individual who wished to apply for a license must meet the following requirements; a complete application, pass the NCLEX, provide any felony or misdemeanor conviction information, any drug related behavior, functional ability deficit and license fee to Virginia State Board of Nursing”. Most RNs gain their clinical experience by working a staff nurse before entering into a graduate program for their nurse practitioners, but once they gain a significant of experience as a nurse t...
Mundinger, M., (1994). Advanced-Practice nursing—good medicine for physicians? New England Journal of Medicine, 33(3), 211-214. Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199401203300314
All PA programs in the United States are accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. Before the admission process to a PA school, the typical candidate usually hold a bachelor’s degree with around 45 months of experience in health care. The bachelor years is usually 4 years but there are acceleration programs that have a full 3 year time span. In order to be a competitive candidate for PA school, one should have their core science classes in good terms. Anything below a B does not look well and would bring their GPA down. Maintaining a competitive GPA of 3.5 or above is ideal, but there are other factors that can contribute greatly of getting accepted into PA school than just grades alone. Outside of school experience with communication is greatly encouraged due to the nature of the PA’s job where a great deal of interaction with patients is essential. PA school look at the balance between academic quality and extracurricular activities. After getting accepted into a PA school, the programs run approximately for 2-3 years. Its tuition can range between 30-40 thousands dollar per didactic year. There are many types of financial assistance available, however, to help fund those who have financial difficulties. Financial aid should be considered around the same time as applying to the PA program and the American
What led me to nursing in the beginning was having a passion for people. I love the holistic approach and level of care that nurses bring to the literal bedside table. I knew throughout nursing school that I wanted to advance my education further than bedside nursing. I debated on whether to pursue a master’s degree in nursing and just become a nurse practitioner, but ultimately, I knew I wanted to advance my education even further to help make and promote changes in healthcare. By choosing to become a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner, I hope to change the stigma that is attached with being “just a nurse” and show that nurses play a vital role in redesigning
Healthcare is a continuous emerging industry across the world. With our ever changing life styles and the increased levels of pollution across the world more and more people are suffering from various health issues. Nursing is an extremely diverse profession and among the highest educated with several levels ranging from a licensed practical nurse (LPN) to a registered nurse (RN) on up to a Doctorate in Nursing. Diane Viens (2003) states that ‘The NP is a critical member of the workforce to assume the leadership roles within practice, education, research, health systems, and health policy’.
Defining the role of an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) is complex and commonly open to interpretation. Internationally there are many variances in what the role of the advanced practitioner entails, and the characteristics of individual roles are often shaped by the country and particular speciality in which they are practising (Mantzoukas & Watkinson 2006), (Sheer & Wong 2008), (Stasa et al 2014), (ICN 2008), (Dalton 2013), (NHS Wales 2010), (Haidar 2014), (Lowe et al 2011), (Pearson 2011).
The first key message that is discussed is that nurses should practice to the fullest extent of their education and training. Most of the nurses that are in practice are registered nurses. Advanced nurse practitioners are nurses that hold a master’s or doctoral degree and include nurse midwifes, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and nurse anesthetists and consist of about two hundred and fifty thousand of the nurses currently working today. Advanced practice nurses are limited to what
When searching for a career that suits you best, the possibilities are awe-inspiring. The start of that journey begins by choosing what profession you would like to work in, and the degree needed to enter that career. For instance, if you choose a profession in healthcare, the most common essential occupation is nursing. The title of a nurse can differ on the degree they earned. Take for instance, the comparison of a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner while they both have the word nurse in their title the occupational rewards and requirements that come with the job are different. Although registered nurses and nurse practitioners are similar in several ways, they differ in their educational and licensing requirements, scope of practice, and salary.