Question Would you please tell me the difference between a Nurse Practioner, Physician Assistant and Physician and which one is "higher up"?
If you are not happy with a Physician Assistant's "diagnoses" whould it make since to see a Physician to confirm?
Thanks.
AnswerI would get a second opinion from an MD, (who has the most training of all these 3 professions in diagnosis). If you feel the diagnosis is wrong, get a second opinion, no matter what kind of person gave you the first opinion-an MD, NP or PA.
The differences:
I'd be comfortable with an NP or physician's assistant (PA) as long as the problem wasn't complicated. Something you've had trouble with for a while or something that's not gone away, you should probably see an MD. A nurse practitioner has nursing school, an RN liscense, experience as a nurse seeing many illnesses and treatments, PLUS a master's degree and pharmacology, diagnosis, prescribing, and assessment courses. She's spent hundreds of hours with patient after patient diagnosing and prescribing with a doctor going behind her and making sure she's doing it right. A PA has less training, but may have lots of clinical experience, just depends on what he or she did prior to PA school, which you don't have to have a degree to get into. PA school is similar ocursework to med school, but more abbreviated. I feel like their education is not as well rounded, and I think someone who has been a nurse first is going to be better at recognizing various medical illnesses, but that's just an opinion.
Thanks for your question!
Maggie, RN, MSN
