Nurse practitioner

(… prak-TIH-shuh-ner) A registered nurse who has additional education and training in how to diagnose and treat disease.

• Nurse practitioners (NPs) serve as primary and specialty care providers, delivering advanced nursing services to patients and their families.
• Nurse practitioners are licensed at the state level and certified by national nursing organizations.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Education

In the United States, the nurse practitioners go through a vigorous process of both theoretic education and practical training.

Tests and procedures

Nurse practitioners, who are also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), coordinate patient care and may provide primary and or specialty healthcare. The scope of practice varies from state to state in the United States. Learn more...

Journals

Some of the magazines and journals nurse practitioners such as Nurse practitioner might read

• The Journal for Nurse Practitioners
• Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners
• The Nurse Practitioner: The American Journal of Primary Healthcare
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal
• Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice
• AACN Advanced Critical Care

Duties

Advanced practice registered nurses typically do the following:

• Take and record patients' medical histories and symptoms
• Perform physical exams and observe patients
• Create patient care plans or contribute to existing plans
• Perform and order diagnostic tests
• Operate and monitor medical equipment
• Diagnose various health problems

Nurse practitioners in cancer care

In cancer care, a nurse practitioner may manage the primary care of patients and their families, based on a practice agreement with a doctor.

Other names

Also called advanced practice nurse, APN, and NP.

Quick Facts

• 2020 Median Pay(US):$117,670 per year or $56.57 per hour
• Typical Entry-Level Education - Master's degree
• Number of Jobs, 2019 - 263,400
• Job Outlook, 2019-29 - 45% (Much faster than average)
• Employment Change, 2019-29 - 117,700

American Association of Nurse Practitioners logo

Work Role

• Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare.
• Nurse practitioners diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. Nurse practitioners may focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

Work Environment

Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, physicians' offices, and clinics. Most advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) work full time.

How to Become a Nurse Practitioner?

Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners must earn at least a master’s degree in one of the APRN roles. They must also be licensed in their state and pass a national certification exam.

Pay

The median annual wage for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners was $117,670 in May 2020.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners is projected to grow 45 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will occur primarily because of an increased emphasis on preventive care and demand for healthcare services from an aging population.

Nurse practitioner schools in the United States

• Long Island University School of Nursing

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