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MS WordAdvanced Practice Nurses / Physician Assistants
Advanced Practice Nurses / Physician Assistants Headlines 
Links Of Interest
Sponsored by The Indian Health Service Clinical Support Center
Welcome
Our
goal is to assist Advanced Practice Nurses / Physician Assistants (APN/PA) clinical
practice across the lifespan for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women
and men. We want to promote communication among our colleagues, as well.
As this site progresses, we will offer both an open forum for APN's/PA's and present pertinent information related to the clinical practice. We will offer continuing education for those providers who serve AI/AN women and men. We have organized some Links of Interest to APN's/PA's, and to other clinicians who provide healthcare across the lifespan of both AI/AN women and men, below.
Special Dedication of this Site
First and foremost, this site is dedicated to all those healthcare providers, lumped under the title of "midlevel". The Indian Health Service (IHS) possesses some of the most hardworking and intelligent APN's / PA's in the country. So please use this site to sing each other's praises!
This site is especially dedicated to the memory of George Bull, a Physician's Assistant from Crownpoint Hospital in Crownpoint, NM.
Who We Are and What We Do?
Advance Practice Nurses (APN's)
This is a blanket term describing licensed registered
nurses who are prepared at the graduate or certificate level as either a Clinical
Specialist, Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Nurse Midwife, or Certified Nurse Practitioner.
APN's use their specialized professional knowledge and skills to care for varied
patient populations in multiple settings. There are other nurses prepared at
a graduate or doctoral level, who function in different roles, but APN is a title
referring only to those who act as direct care providers.
Physician Assistants (PA's)
This title describes licensed healthcare professionals practicing medicine with
physician supervision. Their training involves an intensive 
education program
is accredited by a national commission. Certification is by national examination,
upon completion of educational training, in association with the National Board
of Medical Examiners. PA's function as professionals, using their education training
and certification, along with their skills and specialized knowledge to provide
care for patients across the lifespan in a variety of medical settings.
The
Most Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
Our most frequently asked question is, "aren't APN's and PA's the same thing”?
In the IHS we often provide the same basic scope of patient care services. The
differences in our clinical practices are based on our individual educational
backgrounds and training. In addition, our licensure varies from state to state.
Here are some links that will be of interest to APN's / PA's and to other clinicians providing healthcare across the lifespan for women and men.
For any questions, comments, or additions to this page, please contact the content coordinator, Karen Smith, Family Nurse Practitioner
