A Physician Assistant (PA) and Nurse Practitioner (NP) are both providers of medical care with different roles. They work under an attending physician, but sometimes they are hired independently for various tasks in health institutions. Physician Assistants have more academic requisites than nursing practitioners, which should indicate that a physician assistant has a higher entry-level pay than most nurse practitioners.
Range of Tasks for a Physician Assistant and a Nurse Practitioner
A Physician Assistant (PA) works with a license and does the bidding of a licensed physician who can also be his supervisor on the job. The Physician Assistant gives the patients the services that most physicians perform traditionally. In a sense, they serve as the right arm of the physician, and are able to execute the tasks that are assigned to them.
A Nurse Practitioner (NP) should be a registered nurse with a degree in advanced nursing and has undergone extensive training. A Nurse Practitioner can do a wide range of services related to health care. Every state in the USA has its own requirements for nurse practitioners. Some states may allow nurse practitioners to work even if there is no supervising physician.
Requisites in Terms of Training
For a physician assistant, he must enter a program accredited by the American Academy of Physician Assistants . Usually, he will spend two years studying for the job before he can get advanced training. All states as well as the District of Columbia need all Physician Assistant trainees to pass the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam. This test is offered to graduates of an accredited Physician Assistant programs. It goes without saying that one should only choose institutions that are among those in the accreditation list to be on the safe side. Sometimes, there are institutions that accept students even if the accreditation is still pending.
Someone aiming for a job as a Nurse Practitioner should have completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The NCLEX-RN licensure examination should be passed, as well as other examinations required by the state. The national examination is a requirement for employment, and also for applying into a Master’s in Nursing degree program.
Wage
As with any field, the pay increases with the number of years of experience. A Physician Assistant with less than one year experience can earn around $69,381 annually, while a self-employed yet experienced physical assistant can earn up to $87,279. Nurse Practitioners who are just starting out can expect an annual salary of $66,328. Foundations and their corresponding institutions are often the highest paying employers and can pay a wage of $85,500.