PAs and NPs are not interchangeable

“Are NPs and PAs the same and therefore substitutable?” As a PA and NP, Virginia Hass has a unique perspective on this topic. In this JAAPA article, she focused on the scope of practice and core competencies of each profession. One of the greatest distinctions between PAs and NPs is career flexibility. Hass noted that “akin to a stem cell, the PA has the flexibility to move into any specialty.”