When I began looking into the PA profession 5 or 6 years ago, one of the questions I almost always ran onto was, what is the difference between a Nurse Practioner, and a Physician Assistant? In fact it seemed that any school you would interview with was going to ask that question. There have been master’s theses written about it, and it seems this is very important to know…which ever school you go to.
Outside of school, there seems to be quite a bit of competition between the two professions, each claiming to be better suited to the job. NPs claiming they have a greater right to the job by way of their experience, and PAs because of the extended clinical training and education under the “medical model”. At times this debate almost comes to blows. I think one of the biggest differences is that we are governed by different bodies, and one seeks greater independence than the other.
When all the smoke clears, it would appear to me that though there are different paths, NPs (I am using this because the mid-level nurse’s name does seem to change quite frequently) and PAs end up in about the same place, with similar skills and legal rights. Both are mid-level healthcare professionals with the goal of providing the best medical care to their patients as possible, and both have the obligation to extend their education outside of school, which is a never ending process. Though it would seem that PAs are more procedure oriented, I think this comes down more to personal preference, as I have seen NPs who love to do procedures, and PAs who would just as soon not.
On this last rotation, I was precepted (new word?) by a FNP-C which is a certified Family Nurse Practioner, Jeremy Basse. At first I was a little leery because of all that I have just wrote about at the beginning of this article. I was pretty sure that he would be looking down his nose at me, thought that I probably wouldn’t get to do any procedures, etc. I could not have been more wrong.
Mr. Basse is quite frankly one of the finest health care providers I have worked with on my year long sent of rotations. I dare say that he may have outdone some of the ER doctors I have worked with. His knowledge is extensive; his skill set broad, and his concern for his patients’ number one. He kept the pressure on the whole rotation, ever inspiring me to stretch out and learn more, but never in a condescending manner. He not only pushed me to learn new things, but also shared his “library” from his school and personal gathering which is really impressive. Great teacher.
It has almost gotten to be a joke, because whenever I am asked which rotation I liked the best, I almost always say “The last one”. But truly, this may be the one I like the best. I don’t mean that this is the one I’m dying to spend the rest of my life doing, because at this point I feel under skilled for the task. It takes great dedication to do this job, it involves so much more than just medicine.
Now here is the kicker. Jeremy has not been out of school that long himself. I don’t think he even has a years experience since his certification.
I cannot tell you how impressed I am with this guy. While there, some very difficult situations arose that would have shaken an experienced doctor, and Jeremy kept his head down, kept cool and worked each case with every skill he had, and did an exemplary job.
While in Unalakleet we came across the most difficult case I could possibly imagine, and he worked it professionally, compassionately, and could not imagine anyone doing it better. I am so very proud to have worked with him. Not to mention his wife, Wendy and daughter, Ilsa who are both beautiful, and were so kind to have made me feel at home. Believe me in Unalakleet you can’t imagine how important that is.
So when it comes to the NP vs. PA controversy, I pray that as a PA I am able to live up to the standards set by the NP I worked with, he has certainly set the bar very high for his fellow NPs, and for me.
By the way, I’m not saying all this to get a good grade on my rotation. My evaluation has already been turned in, and I did not get a perfect score.
But I am very proud of the score I got…
rto
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