About Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners are advanced registered nurses educated and trained to provide health promotion and maintenance through the diagnosis and treatment of acute illness and chronic conditions.

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• A nurse practitioner (NP) is an independently licensed, nationally certified healthcare provider.

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• NPs diagnose, write prescriptions, order and interpret laboratory and imaging tests and they partner with patients regarding health care needs.

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• They treat health care problems and provide preventative care and healthcare education.

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• They collaborate with and send people to other healthcare providers as needed such as specialty physicians, physical therapists, etc.

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• They have extended education and degrees (Masters or Doctorate) beyond a 4-year college registered nurse (RN) license.

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• Their background also includes holistic care, teaching people about health care problems, test results, and treatments.

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• They provide health care resources and work with individuals to understand how healthcare problems affect many aspects of one’s life.

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• NPs operate in many different roles, as do other healthcare providers (like physicians).

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• They work in hospitals, clinics, specialty clinics, schools, occupational health, psychiatry, mental health, prisons, etc.