Advanced Practice Professionals

Physician Assistants (PA) and Nurse Practitioners (NP) are an important part of the healthcare team, and are commonly seen throughout Campbell County Health providing excellent patient care. Both treat illnesses, provide patient teaching and prescribe medications. But, there is a difference.

PA – Physician Assistant
A licensed medical professional who can examine, test, treat and prescribe medication for patients with the supervision of a licensed physician. PAs have more of a generalized education, but can also specialize in areas that may include emergency medicine, orthopedics and general surgery, among others.

PAs complete a three-year graduate-level program that requires the same prerequisite courses as medical schools, complete 2,000 hours of clinical rotations and pass a national certification exam. There are more than 100,000 PAs in the United States.

NP—Nurse Practitioner
A licensed medical professional who can assess patients, order and interpret diagnostic tests, make diagnoses, prescribe medications and initiate and manage treatment plans. NPs can work in many different and diverse areas, such as geriatrics, mental health, pediatrics and women’s health, among others.

NPs complete a master's or doctoral degree program, and have advanced clinical training beyond their initial professional registered nurse preparation. They blend clinical expertise in diagnosing and treating health conditions with an added emphasis on disease prevention and health management. There are more than 222,000 NPs in the United States.

Check out CCH's providers at www.cchwyo.org/findadoc.