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This question is about physician assistant jobs.
Is a physician assistant a nurse?
No, a physician assistant is not a nurse. Physician assistants (PA) train using the medical model, similar to physicians, which means they focus on the testing, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease that the patient has. Nurse practitioners train on the nursing model, which means they focus on the testing, diagnosis, and treatment of patients.
PAs train as generalists, which means that after graduation they can practice in almost any field within medicine. This general medicine focus means that PAs can switch specialties throughout their career without the need for re-certification.
Some PAs attend post-graduate PA residency programs and specialize, but most receive on-the-job training to fill in any gaps in their general medical knowledge. Some specialties that are popular with PAs are emergency medicine, surgery, or orthopedics.
PAs takes a general certification exam called the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). PAs, however, generally work under the supervision of a licensed physician.
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