How much education is required for Nurse Practictioner vs a Physician's Assistant?

Answer 1

A nurse practioner is not more or less educated than a physician assistant. they are educated differently. PA school is clearly more direct and intense academically. They are standardized programs that require more than 1400 didactic hours and over 2100 clinical training hours. Nursing averages about 1100-1200 hours of combined didactic/clinical training. Nursing is offered at a "masters degree" level and PA's are offered at a Master degree or less frequently, bachelors degree level. In PA studies, it doesn't matter the degree because they require very specifice science and humanities pre-requisites and their programs are all standardized. They don't care as much about what the degree awarded is. Nurse practitioner training is more degree based, but the programs are far less standardized. NP's require that you be an RN before being accepted into the program, unless going into a direct or accelerated program adn you can do RN/NP in 1 year full-time adn two years part time training. PA school is always full-time education averaging 27 months long.

Anyhow, neither is more or less educated, they are apples and Oranges....but they practice in a similar capasity

Answer 2

No, a physician assistant and nurse practitioner are educated very differently. Physician assistnats are educated in medicine and practice medicine with physicians. nurse practitioners practice advanced nursing and they practice their trade under the oversight of a physician. NP's study nursing theory adn the social aspects of medicine. the programs are less science based than PA's which are purely science, diagnostics, and treatment. NP's undergo about 600 hours of didactic/classroom training (sometimes online distance learning) and average 600-700 hours of clinical training in an area of focus. PA's. undergo over 1500 hours of full-time didactic/classroom training and over 2100 hours of clinical training. PA school also requires science pre-requisites that are similar to medical school. Nursing usually requires that the person be an RN and statistics are highly recommended (and sometimes required). I persued my DNP because I wasn't as intersted in hard science courses that were required for pre-requsites to PA school. It's a softer approach academically, but just as effective clinically with less complicated patients. I feel good about addressing each patients care both medically as part of a team and socially/holistically (similar to a social worker) more independently. the nursing tract also offers more opportunity for administrative type jobs because of different tracts. I have a teaching appointment, clinical appointment and administrative appointment at the hosptital that I work. The PA's seem to be more like the doctors in practice. To each their own. In some settings their is probably little difference in how they practice.

Answer 3

A nurse practitioner is considered a registered nurse with a minimum 4 year education and 2 additional years of speciality practice. A physician's assistant requires a four year degree.

Answer 4

PAs and NPs can't be described as "higher" or "lower." Scopes of practice vary from state to state, but ost states have approximately equivalent practice acts for NPs and PAs.

Answer 5

as far as medicine goes yes, as far as nursing goes no.