Physicians Assistants? - Healthcare Professionals Message Board

GriffinS09 · 08-01-2003, 01:38 AM

I was just curious if anyone who sifts through these threads of which are geared twords healthcare professionals is a P.A. If so, let me know in a replay because I have some questions in reference to your occupation.

I'm currently in Pre-med school and am thinking about ditching the major due to the unknown fact, after I enrolled, that medicine is not a major. It's a life, and aside from it, while in school, you can't have one if you want to do well.

Sarah68 · 08-01-2003, 06:13 AM

Hey, why don't you think about becoming an RN instead?

This is a more fulfilling career and you get to practice and become registered in your own right. As far as I know PA's cannot practice in their own right, but only under the direction of a doc. Would you not want more independence, I know I would?

Good luck

mfree1 · 08-01-2003, 05:51 PM

Premed is pretty awful; I know.

Physician Assistants (sometimes called "Physician Associates") can do a lot of interesting and worthwhile work. They're more common in some parts of the country than others. In some states they have prescriptive authority; some states don't offer that privilege.

Although I considered becoming a PA, I chose to become a nurse practitioner instead. If you already have a bachelor's degree, the schooling is three years (I'm entering the last year.)

There are a lot of advantages to being a nurse practitioner. Yeah, I hesitated because I'm a guy and didn't want to be called "nurse," but it doesn't bother me anymore. Nurse practitioners--unlike PA's--have their own licenses. We can open up our own offices if we want. Like PA's, we can prescribe our own medicaitons in most cases, and we don't need a doctor present to approve our work.

It's a perfect match for me. I'm interested in preventive medicine, which is a focal point of nurse practitioner work.

These are tough decisions and it took me a long time to find the right place in health care. Feel free to ask more questions.

Good luck!

Mats.

GriffinS09 · 08-04-2003, 01:50 PM

I've looked into becoming a Nurse, but their role within the medical field just isn't appealing to me. In short, it's not a challenge. I mean, sure, taking BP's, starting IV's, suturing, intubating, and inserting catheders along with a broad range of other medical tasks is all fun & games. I do most of that stuff as a volunteer EMT-CC. But in the end, their duties aren't a critical demand, as is the ability and expectation of an M.D to make a clinical diagnosis. Now that's a challenge!

However, I'm curious. What exactly is the difference between a NP and a PA? Because as I've read in numerous mecial books. A PA is able to perform about 80% of the medical demands that an M.D does. I am aware that a PA has to work under the supervision of an M.D, but other then that, what's the difference, and also, what's the common denominator?

mfree1 · 08-05-2003, 07:15 AM

GriffinS09,

The biggest difference between PA's and NP's is their licensure. A PA practices under a doctor's license; the PA is just "extending" the practice of an MD. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Nurse Practitioners are independently licensed. We're our own thing--there is no doctor. For billing reasons, NP's work with doctors and bill under the MD's name, but that's becoming less common.

The other difference is in training. Nurse Practitioners are trained to emphasize patient education and preventive services. Although PA's do this too, it's not a fundamental feature of their practice.

There are also differences in practice settings. NP's typically work in primary care, outpatient areas. Although many PA's are in primary care too, it's more common to find PA's in hospital settings.

A lot of the distinction depends on what state you live in. Here in Ohio, Nurse Practitioners are more numerous and have more prescribing privileges than PA's.

If you're interested in formulating clinical diagnoses, that is a cornerstone of both professions.

If it gives you an idea, this is what I do as an NP student. Last night, I had clinic from 6:00 to 10:00. I saw...
4 patients who needed sports and school physicals
1 with sinusitis
1 with a possibly broken foot
1 with a testicular injury
1 with a viral skin infection.
The responsibility was entirely mine to do the history and physical exam, formulate a diagnosis, develop a plan, write prescriptions and order x-rays and labs. I still have to get an NP or MD signature on my work because I'm not licensed until May. But only in one case did I ask for an attending to actually see a patient in person.