pe-of-practice statements for college health, geriatric, adult and family, and pediatric nurse practitioners. The documents developed also include statements about professional responsibility, interprofessional relationships, and client advocacy. The primary activities of nurse practitioners include screening, physical and psychosocial assessment, follow-up when deviations from normal are detected, continuity of care, health promotion, problem-centered services related to diagnosis, identification and mobilization of resources, health education, and client and group advocacy (Archer, 1976, p. 499).
In many research studies and health professions planning discussions, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are regarded as virtually interchangeable in their clinical roles and practice capabilities. While they appear to be equivalent providers in their scope of practice, and indeed in many clinical settings they are, nurse practitioners and physician assistants possess different educational and professional orientations. These differences have cast them in diverging roles in clinical practice and hold implications for their future (Clawson & Osterweis, 1993, p. 12).
Historically, physician assistants have been called upon to function as house staff in teaching hospitals which have reduced the size of residency
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