Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners

How to become a Nurse Practitioner

Official title: Nurse Practitioners

Also called: 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), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP), Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner

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.

Main tasks

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.
Diagnose or treat chronic health care problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Prescribe medications based on efficacy, safety, and cost as legally authorized.

How to become one

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.

Typical education to start: Master's degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Nursing & Midwifery degrees, Offered by 15 universities in the US
Licence: A licence is required in 48 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $132,300 a year The middle half earn $117,990 to $156,700.
About 336,300 people work in this job now, and about 474,100 are projected by 2035. (+41%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Nurse Practitioner?

How much does a Nurse Practitioner earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $132,300 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $117,990 to $156,700.

Is a Nurse Practitioner a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 41% by 2035, from about 336,300 to about 474,100 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Nurse Practitioner?

Usually. 98% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Nurse Practitioner?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.