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Physician assistant, internal medicine vs nurse practitioner

The differences between physician assistants, internal medicine and nurse practitioners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physician assistant, internal medicine has an average salary of $125,736, which is higher than the $100,033 average annual salary of a nurse practitioner.

The top three skills for a physician assistant, internal medicine include patients, primary care and diagnosis. The most important skills for a nurse practitioner are patients, diagnosis, and home health.

Physician assistant, internal medicine vs nurse practitioner overview

Physician Assistant, Internal MedicineNurse Practitioner
Yearly salary$125,736$100,033
Hourly rate$60.45$48.09
Growth rate28%40%
Number of jobs60,17727,912
Job satisfaction-2.67
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Master's Degree, 47%
Average age3943
Years of experience-2

What does a physician assistant, internal medicine do?

A Physician Assistant supports the doctors work and actively facilitates patients recovery. An Internal Medicine uses nonsurgical approaches to treat medical conditions that affect adults.

What does a nurse practitioner do?

A nurse practitioner's role is diverse. It revolves around supervising nurses in a particular area and providing immediate care and treatment to patients through extensive knowledge and clinical experience. Among the duties of a nurse practitioner involves diagnosing and treating medical conditions, performing research and analysis through various tests, evaluating data and results, operating different kinds of medical equipment, and gathering samples from patients. Furthermore, a nurse practitioner must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among fellow health workers in a hospital or clinic.

Physician assistant, internal medicine vs nurse practitioner salary

Physician assistants, internal medicine and nurse practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Physician Assistant, Internal MedicineNurse Practitioner
Average salary$125,736$100,033
Salary rangeBetween $76,000 And $207,000Between $62,000 And $161,000
Highest paying CityMedford, MARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateVermontCalifornia
Best paying companyMayo ClinicPace University
Best paying industryHealth Care-

Differences between physician assistant, internal medicine and nurse practitioner education

There are a few differences between a physician assistant, internal medicine and a nurse practitioner in terms of educational background:

Physician Assistant, Internal MedicineNurse Practitioner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Master's Degree, 47%
Most common majorPhysician AssistantNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Physician assistant, internal medicine vs nurse practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between physician assistants, internal medicine' and nurse practitioners' demographics:

Physician Assistant, Internal MedicineNurse Practitioner
Average age3943
Gender ratioMale, 36.6% Female, 63.4%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between physician assistant, internal medicine and nurse practitioner duties and responsibilities

Physician assistant, internal medicine example responsibilities.

  • Manage continuity of care for complex general internal patients with limit resources-diabetes, hypertension, psychiatric, and homeless.
  • Assess and treat acute/chronic medical problems and provide education for prevention and/or progression of diagnosis to patients and families.
  • x-ray review, medication review & administration, EKG, telephone triage
  • Perform wellness exams from adolescent through geriatric patients and educate patients on lifestyle modifications and chronic diseases as appropriate.
  • Work in an outpatient orthopedic clinic with emphasis on physical medicine, rehabilitation of both chronic and acute orthopedic conditions.
  • Monitor immunization, ACLS, BLS and other documents relate to the clinical students and ensure they are up to date.
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Nurse practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Manage care of chronic pediatric patients in PICU.
  • Assess, diagnose and medically manage patients with various GI diseases and dysfunctions
  • Manage medical illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, thyroid conditions and asthma and other medical conditions.
  • Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
  • Manage appropriate changes to individualize care plan to ensure cost and time efficacy in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation office.
  • Document correctly the patients' information in electronic health record and observe HIPAA.
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Physician assistant, internal medicine vs nurse practitioner skills

Common physician assistant, internal medicine skills
  • Patients, 36%
  • Primary Care, 7%
  • Diagnosis, 5%
  • Acute Care, 3%
  • Physical Exams, 3%
  • Rehabilitation, 3%
Common nurse practitioner skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Home Health, 5%
  • Diagnostic Tests, 5%
  • Acute Care, 3%
  • EMR, 3%

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