Physician Assistant vs. Nurse Practitioner vs. Medical Doctor

Medical Profession Comparison Chart: Medical Assistant vs. Nurse vs. Nurse Practitioner vs. Physician Assistant vs. Family Practice Physician (updated var dt = new Date(); document.getElementById("datetime").innerHTML = dt.toLocaleDateString();) *Programs vary and the following represents averages for each vocation. Category Medical Assistant (MA) Nurse (RN, BSN) Nurse Practitioner (NP) Physician Assistant (PA) Physician (MD) Prerequisite Education None None Bachelors Degree in nursing and clinical hours Bachelors degree and clinical hours Bachelors degree Learning Model - Medical-Nursing Medical-Nursing Medical-Physician Medical-Physician Time in Classroom 134 hrs varies greatly by program 500 hrs 1000 hrs 2 years Time in Clinic 160 hours varies by program 500-700 hrs 2000 hrs 2 years Total Post High School Education 1-2 years 2-4 years 6-8 years 6-7 years 8 years Residency None Optional 6-12 months Optional 1-2 years Optional 1-2 years 3-8 years Degree or Certificate Awarded Certificate or Associate Degree Associate or bachelors degree Master's Degree planned transition to Doctorate Master's Degree PA-C Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) Recertification 60 education points or exam every 5 years 1000 hours practicing in area of certification or exam every 5 years 1000 professional practice hours and 12 CE credits per year OR exam every 5 years 100 education hours every 2 years and exam every 10 years MD: 50 education hours/year and ABMS certification recommended Base Salary U.S $32,480 $70,000 (varies greatly by state) $110,930 $104,860 $208,000 Independent Practitioner No No 18 states allow NPs to practice independently Not yet Yes Downloadable table: (JPG) (PDF) You may also like -MD Versus PA Showdown Round 1 Show Me The Money! Before you read this post I want you to take a quick survey. What do you think? Physician Assistant vs. MD - Show Me The Money Often the decision between PA and MD is considered a difficult one, but should it be? Today I []Infographic: PA VS MD Understanding the Differences Why my Wife is Happy I am a Physician Assistant and not an MD"In my life family will always be my greatest priority.I love my patients like I love life itself, but I love my family even more than life itself." - Stephen Pasquini PA-C ears ago I dreamt of being an MD. Since I was a small []