Diagnose and treat illnesses, order tests, and prescribe medication, often as a patient's main provider.
You may also see this posted as: ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Gastroenterology Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Practitioner (NP), Adult Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
Clinics, hospitals, and private practices; steady patient contact.
Usually full-time; some evenings, weekends, and on-call.
Investigative
solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work
Social
helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people
Conventional
organizing information, following systems, and getting details right
O*NET job zone 5 of 5
Extensive preparation—often graduate education and significant experience—is common.
Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.
May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
BLS estimates 1% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.
Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.
Master's degree
Training path: RN first, then an MSN.
Related work experience: None.
On-the-job training: None.
Requires a state license and national certification in a specialty; nurses train as RNs first.
Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.
Among the fastest-growing jobs anywhere — near-physician scope in many states.
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Free resume templates, interview practice, and getting-hired guides in the Careers kit.
Standard Occupational Classification 29-1171. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.