Advanced nurse practitioners and physician assistants: what is the difference? Comparing the USA and UK

Abstract

With the reduction in junior doctors' hours and fewer doctors being trained in the UK, there is a need for other types of health-care practitioners to fill the gap. This article describes some of the background to the present situation and delineates two types of roles, the advanced nurse practitioner and the physician assistant, for consideration as alternatives to address the present and growing shortage of doctors.