The answers are mostly right, but state law (not federal) determines scope of practice for each and then the facility can narrow that further. PA oversight varies from state to state and can be very loose; often its just electronic-meaning no MD on site at all for rural PAs. In CA (which is changing) the chart review is 10% within a week, so that is not every chart/patient immediately. the supervisory ratios also vary greatly. Now with that being said, the models of education are different, and there are several essays on how they are not interchangeable. What you want to be - you should determine based on skill level, abilities and philosophy as well as availability to each in your area. PAs are essentially pre med, while nursing ed is not that rigorous, one factor. PAs can also move between specialties at will, as all are trained to be generalists. NPs can not with out more education and testing, a womens PA cant do peds for example. PAs must recert their national exam currently every 10 *changed from 5) and NPs do not. In some positions they are interchangeable, in others not so much. Billing is different for each too, so that may influence hiring. Some MDs prefer PAs as they are familiar with the medical model, other prefer NPs, Some states are PA friendly, others NP (like Iowa), Do not let "complete autonomy" sway you--that is not for a new grad and not for everyone, malpractice is a huge issue when you are solo. You need to read some of the articles out there and speak to both, particularly in the area you are interested in. See if you can sit in on a class even. Then look at the requirements for each program. (ps you do have to be a nurse first, to be a NP< which may not be everyone's desire)

nurse practitioner is similar to a dr. they have the almost the same job as a doctor, can prescribe meds, they can order tests but they are not a doctor and get paid a bit less. A nurse cannot prescribe meds, interpret tests or order them while a nurse practitioner can. Physician assistants may take your blood pressure, check you in, check your temperature, similar to a nurse but they get paid less.

I think there are probably some fairly good answers if you Google this, but let me sum up.

Nurse practitioners are nurses first. You would earn your BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) and work (usually) for at least a year. From there you can proceed to an NP program. NP programs can range from 18 months to 4+ years depending on your track and degree. At this time, a masters degree is sufficient for practice, but there is a push to require NPs to be doctorally prepared. I completed an excelerated part time program in 4 years, working full time throughout. NPs tend to specialize somewhat. There are adult, family, psychiatric, and acute care tracks. You can become more specialized (ENT, neurology, dermatology, etc) through your choice of clinical placements. NPs are trained using a nursing model of care. This means that we tend to treat the "whole person", mind, body and spirit. In many states, NPs has "full practice authority", meaning that they can function independently from physicians. In other states they have limited practice, which provides some independence, but requires some physician oversight. Others have restricted practice, which means most of what they do is directed by a physician colleague. I think it is a national standard that in states requiring physician oversight, a doctor can supervise up to 4 NPs.

Physician assistants have two different ways to enter practice. Some schools offer a 5 year BS to MS program. Once you get accepted to college, you are required to perform to a particular standard, and if you do so - you will earn both degrees in 5 years and be prepared for the certification. Other schools offer masters programs. You would earn your BS in something like biology or premed, and then complete a separate masters degree. They are trained using a medical model. Physician assistants have no independent practice, meaning patient notes, prescriptions, etc. must always be cosigned by a physician. Supervision of a physician is limited to a 1:1 ratio, meaning a physician can only provide supervision to one PA at a time.

In practice, PAs and NPs tend to function very similarly. PAs do tend to do more in the way of surgical services, if that is something you might be interested in. PAs don't have a track specific to psychiatry (and NPs do), so if psychiatry is your preference, the NP track might be more beneficial. That being said, there are NPs in the OR and there are PAs working in psychiatry, so it's kind of up to you which you choose. Most hospitals and clinics advertise for NP/PA without any preference outside of the specialties of surgery and psychiatry.

One last thing. There is ONE - yes, ONE - medical school in the whole damn WORLD that has an NP to MD/DO program. There are many that have a PA to MD/DO track. So, if you have any thought that you might want to become a physician some day - take the route of PA training.

one is a nurse the other is more of a doctor....