Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs) are an integral part of our care teams. APCs consist of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). Both PAs and NPs provide high-quality primary and specialty care for our patients. Similar to physicians, APCs require advanced training and education beyond their initial medical training. Our APCs are focused on health promotion, disease prevention and health education to guide patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices.
The most significant difference between a PA and an NP is in their educational preparation. A PA attends an intense, three-year graduate-level program with many of the same courses taken by physicians, and receives a master’s degree.
An NP is a registered nurse who attends graduate-level, advanced clinical training beyond their initial professional registered nurse preparation. NPs either have a master’s or doctoral degree.