Nurse practitioners (NPs) provide dedicated primary and acute care, similar to physicians, but through a nursing lens. They can diagnose and treat basic health conditions, but they also pay attention to other factors affecting optimal health, such as prevention, counseling, and health education.
Depending on their interest, nurse practitioners can focus on a specialty area and have a subspecialty within that population. For example, a pediatric nurse practitioner can further specialize in cardiology, or an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner can work primarily in dermatology.
Nurse practitioners provide comprehensive care for their patients. They are licensed to prescribe medications, order lab tests or procedures, and refer to other practitioners. However, nurse practitioners may not be allowed to admit patients directly to the hospital, so they would need to collaborate with an attending physician.
In approximately 27 states (including D.C.), NPs can practice independently from physicians. In 13 states, they can work with partial supervision, while in 11 states, NPs have more restricted practices.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) have obtained their advanced practice nursing degrees by obtaining either a master’s or doctoral degree and completing additional clinical hours. Their practice area determines what further education, clinical training, and certifications they need.
The setting where the NP works determines much of their role, but general activities may include:
Nurse practitioners often work in hospitals, clinics, schools, long-term care facilities, urgent care facilities, correctional facilities, and in-home healthcare.
Nurse practitioners manage patients of every age, socioeconomic level, and medical condition.
A nurse practitioner must obtain an MSN degree, but some get doctoral degrees.
These doctoral degrees are not to be confused with physicians’ medical doctor degrees.
Nurse practitioners select a study area typically in one of six areas as their focus, and then they can gain certification in the area they trained. After completing additional post-graduate courses and work experience in a secondary area, they can apply for certification in that subspecialty area.
There are several additional subspecialties, such as:
Nurse practitioners must be BCLS certified and renew their NP license every one to three years, depending on their state. Each state also requires a differing number of CEU hours.
Nurse practitioners typically make between $99,426 - $134,323, with a median salary of $115,301, according to Salary.com.
The May 2021 Bureau of Labor and Statistics report shows which states have the highest and lowest wages for nurse practitioners. The highest-paid states are California, New Jersey, and New York. The lowest-paid states are Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina, which is tied with West Virginia.
