| Course | HS106 Health Science Profession and Career Planning |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 2 |
| Paper type | Scope of practice comparison |
| Length | About 1,100 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health Science |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HS106 Unit 2
Who May Diagnose, Who May Adjust the Ventilator: A Unit 2 Scope of Practice Comparison of Physician Assistants and Respiratory Therapists in Virginia
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HS106: Health Science Profession and Career Planning
Unit 2 Scope of Practice Comparison
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The student and workplace are composite; the regulatory bodies and sources cited are real, and state rules should be checked against current law.
What Scope of Practice Means
Put simply, scope of practice marks the edge of what the law lets a given professional do. It is set mainly by state law: each state's practice act defines the profession, and a licensing board writes rules that fill in the details. Professional associations publish their own descriptions of practice, and employers grant privileges within the legal limits, so what a person actually does at work is often narrower than what the law allows. For a corpsman, the change is significant. In the Navy, my duties were set by my rating, my training and the medical officer I worked under. In civilian practice, the state decides.
In Virginia, both professions are licensed by the Board of Medicine, which uses advisory boards for each. That shared board makes the comparison cleaner than it would be in states where different agencies regulate them.
The Physician Assistant's Scope
A physician assistant examines patients, takes histories, orders and interprets tests, diagnoses illness, develops treatment plans and prescribes medication. PAs are trained as generalists in medicine, and many move between specialties during a career. Their scope is broad but not independent: in Virginia, a PA practices as part of a patient care team with a physician under a written practice agreement, which describes how they collaborate and consult (Virginia Board of Medicine, 2025). The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that most states require PAs to have an agreement with a physician, though the physician need not be present at all times (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026a).
In practice, a hospital PA on a medical ward might admit a patient with pneumonia, order a chest film and blood cultures, choose an antibiotic, decide on oxygen and request a respiratory therapy evaluation.
The Respiratory Therapist's Scope
A respiratory therapist assesses breathing, administers oxygen and inhaled medications, performs airway clearance, manages mechanical ventilators, draws and analyzes arterial blood gases, tests lung function and educates patients with chronic lung disease. RTs work under physician orders, often through protocols that allow them to adjust therapy within set limits. The bureau reports that licensure is required in every state except Alaska (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026b).
On the same pneumonia patient, the RT would assess the work of breathing, deliver the ordered oxygen and nebulizer treatments, titrate oxygen by protocol to the target saturation and, if the patient worsened, set up noninvasive ventilation or help with intubation and manage the ventilator.
The PA decides what the patient needs; the RT decides, within a protocol, how the lungs will get it.
Where the Scopes Overlap
The two scopes meet at the bedside of a patient in respiratory trouble. Both may assess breathing and interpret blood gases. Both may be present at an airway emergency. A PA may order a ventilator setting change, and an RT may make it, often having recommended it. The overlap is collaborative rather than competitive: the PA holds diagnostic and prescribing authority, and the RT holds the deeper technical expertise in respiratory equipment and therapy.
How Each Scope Can Change
Scope is not fixed. State legislatures revise practice acts, often after lobbying by professional associations, and the changes can be significant. Virginia's move from physician supervision to a practice agreement within a patient care team is one example for PAs. For respiratory therapists, debates in several states have concerned whether therapists may perform certain procedures, such as arterial line placement, without direct physician involvement. Employers also shape practice: a hospital may grant a PA privileges for some procedures and not others, or limit which protocols its therapists may follow. For someone choosing a career, this means the scope I read about today may look different in ten years, and that professional associations are where those changes are argued. Joining one would be part of practicing in either field.
A Day in Each Scope
The difference becomes clearer across a full shift. A hospital PA spends much of the day in assessment, ordering, interpreting and documenting decisions, and much of it in conversation with patients, families, nurses and the physician partner. An RT moves between patients and units, delivering scheduled treatments, responding to calls and alarms, checking ventilators and teaching patients to use inhalers and home oxygen. Both work in teams, but the PA's work centers on decisions and the RT's on delivery and monitoring.
Where They Differ Most
Diagnosis and prescribing. PAs diagnose and prescribe; RTs do neither, although they recommend.
Breadth versus depth. PAs cover the whole body across specialties; RTs specialize deeply in one system.
Authority. PAs work under a practice agreement with a physician; RTs work under physician orders and protocols.
Education. A PA needs a master's from an ARC-PA accredited program plus a passing score on the national certifying exam; an RT usually needs a two-year degree from a CoARC accredited program and an NBRC credential.
What My Military Experience Covers
As a corpsman I assessed patients, started IVs, gave medications under standing orders and managed airways in the field. Some of that maps onto each civilian scope, but none of it transfers as a license. For the PA path, my experience counts as patient care hours for admission. For the RT path, my airway and oxygen experience is a head start, but I would still complete the full program and exams.
What the Comparison Means for My Decision
If I want to diagnose and decide treatment, only the PA scope offers that. If I want to master one system and the equipment that supports it, the RT scope fits, with much less time in school. The comparison does not make the choice, but it sharpens it: the real question is whether I want to be the one who names the problem.
Conclusion
In Virginia, physician assistants and respiratory therapists are licensed by the same board but given very different authority. PAs diagnose, prescribe and plan care within a physician partnership; RTs deliver and manage respiratory care under orders and protocols. Their work overlaps at the bedside of patients who cannot breathe well, where they depend on each other. Understanding the boundary helps me see what each career would ask of me every day.
References
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026a). Physician assistants. In Occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026b). Respiratory therapists. In Occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm
Virginia Board of Medicine. (2025). Physician assistant and respiratory therapy licensure. Virginia Department of Health Professions. https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Medicine/
The Purdue Global HS106 Unit 2 instructions
Unit 2 typically asks students to compare the scopes of practice of two health careers in a chosen state. Expect to define scope of practice, describe what each profession may do, name the body that authorizes it and explain where the two overlap and differ. The state's licensing board and practice act are the primary sources, and federal career data can support the education and licensure details. Instructors look for concrete examples rather than lists of duties, so following one patient or one task through both roles works well. Many prompts also ask how scope can change and what the comparison means for the student's own plans. Students with military or other prior experience should explain honestly how it relates to each civilian scope.
How the HS 106 Unit 2 example is put together
The paper opens with a definition of scope and the change it represents for a corpsman, then notes that one Virginia board licenses both professions. Each scope is described in turn, with a pneumonia patient showing what a hospital PA and an RT would each do, and a highlighted line contrasts deciding what the patient needs with deciding how the lungs will get it. A section on overlap describes the shared bedside. Another explains how practice acts, associations and employer privileges change scope over time, and a short section compares a full shift in each role. The differences are set out under four labels. A section on military experience and a conclusion about what the comparison clarifies close the paper.
Reading the HS106 Unit 2 grading rubric
Scope comparisons are usually graded on accuracy and application. Each profession's legal authority should be described correctly for the chosen state, with the licensing body named. A concrete example, such as one patient followed through both roles, earns more than parallel lists. The overlap and the differences should both be explained, since the prompt asks how the roles fit together. Graders value attention to how scope is set and changed, including employers' privileges. Honest treatment of prior experience matters for military and career-change students. The comparison should end with what it means for the student's own decision. Headings that follow the comparison, plus an APA 7 entry for the board page and each federal source, finish it.
HS106 Unit 2 help: mistakes that cost points
Scope papers often describe job duties from career websites rather than legal authority from a state board, which skips the legal question the unit is about. A related error is assuming one state's rules apply everywhere. Some students treat the two professions as competitors and overlook how they depend on each other. Prior experience is sometimes overstated, as if military training granted civilian authority. Papers that never connect the comparison to the student's own choice end abruptly. Watch terminology too: licensure, certification and privileges are different things. Before writing, look up both professions on your state board's site and note who licenses each. A custom comparison can be written for your own careers and state.
Get an HS106 Unit 2 example written to your instructions
Share the two careers, your state and the comparison instructions with the rubric. A custom comparison sets out each scope and where they overlap. Turnaround is 24-48h, free the first time. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HS106 Unit 2 questions, answered
What is scope of practice?
The activities a professional is legally allowed to perform, usually set by state law and licensing boards.
Does scope vary by state?
Often, yes, especially for roles such as paramedics, physician assistants and medical assistants.
Where do I find a state's rules?
On the state licensing board's website, in its practice act and rules.
Where can I find a free HS106 Unit 2 sample paper?
The full HS106 Unit 2 scope of practice comparison can be read here, setting out what physician assistants and respiratory therapists may do in Virginia and where their work meets.
Who licenses PAs and respiratory therapists in the HS106 Unit 2 sample?
The Virginia Board of Medicine licenses both, with PAs practicing under a practice agreement as part of a patient care team and RTs working under physician orders and protocols.