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The average nurse practitioner salary is $72,000 a year, whereas the average physician assistant salary is $78,000 a year. There are many factors that can influence the salaries, such as geographical location and previous experience. For example, many nurse practitioners that have been employed by a hospital as a registered nurse for an extended period of time often receive much higher salaries than new NPs with less nursing background.

Although there are a number of different locations in which PAs and NPs work, the majority of the working environments are relatively the same. Both are commonly found in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and clinics. Nurse practitioners, however, typically have more home health care and nursing home positions than PAs. Physician assistants may also be employed in a variety of different surgical settings, as they have received more training and education in this area.

The career field looks very bright for aspiring physician assistants and nurse practitioners, but it is not an easy job. There is a lot of stress and potentially long hours that plague the health care industry, and it is not abnormal to be on call for extended periods of time. The work itself can be physically and mentally exhausting, but rewarding at the same time. It takes a special individual, but there will always be a shortage of advanced care professionals and the financial rewards can be great.