Careers · Explore one path
Nurse Practitioners
Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. 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.
Other titles employers use
ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) · Adult Nurse Practitioner · Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) · ARNP Specialist (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Specialist) · Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) · Family Practice Certified Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner · Gastroenterology Nurse Practitioner · Nurse Practitioner (NP)
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
- Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines.
- Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability.
- Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.
- Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.
- Prescribe medication dosages, routes, and frequencies, based on such patient characteristics as age and gender.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to analytical, helping and organizing work.
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
- Speaking
Subjects to know
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Biology
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
Useful strengths
- Written Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Expression
- Written Expression
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.3 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 3.1 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 5.0 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.3 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a master's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A master's degree 65%
- A doctorate or professional degree 30%
- A four-year degree 5%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Medical software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Document management software
- Word processing software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 34,100
- Job openings each year
- 2,500
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 58.6%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 34,100 | 2,500 | 58.6% |
| Texas | 30,490 | 2,240 | 60.0% |
| Florida | 29,980 | 2,190 | 58.5% |
| Tennessee | 21,500 | 1,570 | 57.9% |
| New York | 20,970 | 440 | 26.3% |
| Ohio | 15,710 | 1,060 | 42.6% |
| North Carolina | 12,750 | 920 | 55.5% |
| Illinois | 12,660 | 850 | 41.1% |
| Georgia | 12,500 | 910 | 58.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 11,430 | 770 | 42.7% |
| Arizona | 11,200 | 860 | 71.3% |
| Virginia | 11,160 | 800 | 55.6% |
| Missouri | 10,670 | 720 | 41.9% |
| Michigan | 10,410 | 700 | 41.2% |
| New Jersey | 10,230 | 720 | 50.7% |
| Indiana | 9,550 | 660 | 45.8% |
| Minnesota | 8,010 | 550 | 43.8% |
| Wisconsin | 7,480 | 530 | 51.1% |
| Maryland | 7,450 | 500 | 42.2% |
| Kentucky | 6,870 | 470 | 45.2% |
| Alabama | 6,810 | 480 | 50.0% |
| South Carolina | 6,620 | 490 | 60.7% |
| Louisiana | 6,420 | 440 | 43.6% |
| Washington | 6,020 | 600 | 45.1% |
| Utah | 5,900 | 430 | 60.3% |
| Mississippi | 5,860 | 400 | 42.6% |
| Colorado | 5,780 | 420 | 56.2% |
| Arkansas | 4,840 | 360 | 61.3% |
| Kansas | 4,630 | 310 | 42.9% |
| Connecticut | 4,560 | 310 | 44.8% |
| Oklahoma | 4,200 | 280 | 38.6% |
| Massachusetts | 4,010 | 280 | 46.9% |
| Iowa | 3,670 | 260 | 52.9% |
| Oregon | 3,420 | 240 | 52.7% |
| Nevada | 2,780 | 200 | 51.1% |
| New Mexico | 2,620 | 200 | 64.8% |
| West Virginia | 2,590 | 180 | 52.4% |
| Nebraska | 2,430 | 160 | 35.8% |
| New Hampshire | 2,290 | 160 | 50.7% |
| Rhode Island | 2,090 | 140 | 45.1% |
| Maine | 1,800 | 120 | 35.3% |
| Delaware | 1,550 | 110 | 55.0% |
| Idaho | 1,440 | 110 | 60.0% |
| Montana | 1,330 | 90 | 51.1% |
| South Dakota | 1,280 | 90 | 56.1% |
| Vermont | 1,100 | 70 | 35.8% |
| North Dakota | 860 | 60 | 48.3% |
| District of Columbia | 850 | 60 | 41.7% |
| Wyoming | 710 | 50 | 47.9% |
| Alaska | 550 | 30 | 10.0% |
| Guam | 110 | 10 | 57.1% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 7,786
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
The University of Texas at Arlington
- Degrees each year
- 2,652
- Admit rate
- 81%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Ohio University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 1,396
- Admit rate
- 85%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Degrees each year
- 789
- Admit rate
- 74%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
University of Central Florida
- Degrees each year
- 734
- Admit rate
- 40%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Indiana University-Indianapolis
- Degrees each year
- 626
- Admit rate
- 81%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
East Tennessee State University
- Degrees each year
- 588
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
The University of Texas at Tyler
- Degrees each year
- 582
- Admit rate
- 92%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Compare every college offering nurse practitioner residency/fellowship programs