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.
Also called: ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner), Adult Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), Advanced Practice Provider, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), ARNP Specialist (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Specialist)
Median pay
$132,300
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$101,340 – $174,420
People employed
323,040
Holland code
ISC
Investigative · Social · Conventional
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you want a lot of freedom to make your own decisions?
- 2.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
- 3.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
- 4.Are you happy talking and working with people most of the day?
- 5.Do you want the same hours every week?
The hard parts
- Exposure to disease or infection
- Mistakes can have serious consequences
- Tight deadlines are common
Nurse Practitioners pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What nurse practitioners do
- 01Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
- 02Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines.
- 03Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability.
- 04Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.
- 05Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.
- 06Prescribe medication dosages, routes, and frequencies, based on such patient characteristics as age and gender.
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Writing
Knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Biology
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles that stand out
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Cooperation
- Achievement Orientation
- Social Orientation
- Self-Control
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a graduate degree (O*NET Job Zone 5).
- Related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years.
- On-the-job training: over 3 months, up to and including 6 months.
- A professional certification is often expected.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from nurse practitioners
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary74% · −19%
- Genetic Counselors73% · −24%
- Clinical Research Coordinators68% · group pay
- Health Informatics Specialists67% · group pay
- Medical Dosimetrists66% · +11%
Majors that lead here
- Nursing Administration
- Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
- Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
- Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing
- Nursing Science
- Pediatric Nurse/Nursing
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing
- Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing
- Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing
- Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Critical Care Nursing
- Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.