Nurse Practitioner (NP) vs Physician Assistant or Associate (PA)
Find NP Schools
For the 2023-2024 academic year, we have 140 NP schools in our database and those that advertise with us are labeled “sponsor”. When you click on a sponsoring school or program, or fill out a form to request information from a sponsoring school, we may earn a commission. View our advertising disclosure for more details.
Pursuing a clinical healthcare career isn’t limited to becoming a physician. With a two-year master’s degree, one can become a nurse practitioner (NP) or a physician associate/assistant (PA) and provide primary or specialized care in clinical settings.
Nurse practitioners, a type of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), have state-dependent levels of practice autonomy and can prescribe medications. Physician assistants, also known as physician associates or PAs, work alongside physicians and independent clinicians.
Healthcare careers are one of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows healthcare openings will grow by 16 percent between 2020 and 2030. This is twice as fast as the national average (8 percent) and will create 2.6 million new jobs. This includes nurse practitioners and physician assistants/associates, which are projected to grow by 52 percent and 31 percent in the same decade.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses (RNs) with a master of science in nursing (MSN), a post-master’s NP certificate, or a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP). Most NP programs include 500 to 1,000 clinical hours as part of the curriculum. NPs see patients in clinical primary or specialized care settings, lead nursing teams, and may work in clinical research. They can seek specialty certification as a family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology primary care, and emergency nurse practitioner from organizations such as the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB).
Depending on the state where they practice, NPs have full, limited, or restricted practice authority. Full authority means practicing independently of a physician, while limited and restricted practice authority means practicing under the supervision of a physician, among other constraints. NPs can diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications to patients.
Physician assistants (PA) are clinical healthcare professionals with a master’s degree from a physician assistant program. Applicants may have a pre-med or a non-medical bachelor’s degree. Still, most PA program admissions are highly competitive, so applicants are encouraged to demonstrate high grades in prerequisite coursework in chemistry, biology, human anatomy and physiology, and microbiology at the undergraduate level.
It’s not unusual for PA applicants to have experience as registered nurses (RNs) or emergency medical technicians (EMTs). PAs complete more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations in primary care, ambulatory clinics, and specialized care facilities during their graduate studies.
Upon graduating from an accredited PA program, candidates are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) offered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). The PANCE exam is required for PAs in all states to work legally.
State licensure laws also dictate that PAs must hold a collaborative agreement with a supervising physician. Like NPs, PAs are authorized to diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications to patients.
While these healthcare professions are uniquely different, their scopes of practice are similar, as are their origin stories. Since the 1960s, NPs and PAs have filled in the gaps left by the national physician shortage and expanded patient access to healthcare in metropolitan and rural settings.
Read on to learn more about the differences between nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PA) (associates).
Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant (Associate): Side-by-Side Comparison
Unless otherwise indicated, all occupational data for nurse practitioners and physician assistants/associates is sourced from the BLS.
| Nurse Practitioners (NP) | Physician Assistants (PA) (Associate) | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who provide primary and specialty patient care, with and without physician supervision. | Licensed and nationally certified medical professionals who work alongside physicians to provide primary and specialty healthcare. |
| Occupational Demand | 52 percent (much faster than average) from 2020-2030 (BLS 2021) | 31 percent (much faster than average) from 2020-2030 (BLS 2021) |
| Number Employed | 234,690 (BLS May 2021) | 132,940 (BLS May 2021) |
| Education | Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Post-Master’s NP Certificates Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) | Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies |
| Sample Degree Programs | Baylor University– Online BSN to DNP programs Regis College – Online BSN to DNP, MSN, and Post-Master’s NP Certificate programs | University of Wisconsin-Madison – On-Campus Physician Assistant ProgramYale University – Online Physician Assistant program |
| Work Environments |
|
|
| Typical Responsibilities | Care for patients, with or without physician supervision (depending on the state-level scope of practice laws); provide primary or specialized healthcare; order tests; prescribe medication; lead teams of nurses; teach nursing education; and conduct research. | Provide patient care on teams of physicians and surgeons; order diagnostic tests and interpret results; counsel patients on recovery and preventative care; conduct patient care research, and teach public health seminars to the public. |
| Major Specializations |
|
|
| Licensure | NCLEX-RN Exam (required) National certification exam(s) State-specific requirements | Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) State-specific requirements |
| Certification Examples | American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANP)
| National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Certificates of Added Qualification (CAQ):
|
| Average Annual Salary | $118,040 (BLS May 2021) | $119,460 (BLS May 2021) |
| Scope of Practice | From the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP): Full practice authority: Without physician supervision, NPs can evaluate, order tests, diagnose, prescribe, and manage patient treatments (27 states) Reduced practice authority: At least one element of practice requires NPs to collaborate with a physician (15 states and territories) Restricted practice authority: NPs must be supervised by a physician to provide patient care (11 states) | From the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA): PAs are independent clinicians who work in collaborative agreements with physicians. The physician need not be on site for the PA to see and treat patients. From the American Medical Association (AMA): 47 states require PAs to be supervised by physicians. Some states limit the prescription of certain classes of medications. |
| Resources | Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) | |
| The Bottom Line | Nurse practitioners (NPs) are APRNs with a graduate (MSN) or doctoral (DNP) degree. NPs provide patient care, clinical leadership, and can be active in teaching and research. State-level scope of practice laws determine whether NPs have full, reduced, or restricted practice authority and can practice independently or under the supervision of a physician. NPs prescribe medications. | Physician assistants/associates (PAs) are licensed clinicians with a master’s degree (MPA). PAs work in patient care, diagnosis, and treatment alongside or via supervisory agreements with physicians (depending on state laws). PAs work in various clinical, educational, government, and workplace settings. PAs can prescribe medications. |
Rachel Drummond, MEd
WriterOn NPschools.com, Rachel Drummond has leveraged her extensive background in education and mindfulness to provide valuable insights to nursing professionals since 2020. She explores how mindfulness and movement can be incorporated into the demanding routines of nurses, emphasizing the importance of mental and physical well-being for increased resilience and effectiveness in the challenging field of nursing.
Rachel is a writer, educator, and coach from Oregon. She has a master’s degree in education (MEd) and has over 15 years of experience teaching English, public speaking, and mindfulness to international audiences in the United States, Japan, and Spain. She writes about the mind-body benefits of contemplative movement practices like yoga on her blog, inviting people to prioritize their unique version of well-being and empowering everyone to live healthier and more balanced lives.