Nurse Practitioners
What Nurse Practitioners Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.8/5
- English Languageimportance 4.3/5
- Biologyimportance 4.2/5
- Psychologyimportance 4.2/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.1/5
- Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.0/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.8/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.6/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
- E-Mail5.0/5
- Exposed to Disease or Infections4.8/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.8/5
- Contact With Others4.7/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Medical Dosimetrists98% skill match
- General Internal Medicine Physicians98% skill match
- Nurse Midwives98% skill match
- Physical Therapists97% skill match
- Family Medicine Physicians97% skill match
- Veterinarians97% skill match
- Occupational Therapists97% skill match
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators97% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.3/5
- Instructingimportance 3.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Cautiousness
- Self-Control
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- SocialHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- RealisticMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where nurse practitioners make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Rochester, MN4.65× national avg
- 2Ithaca, NY2.75× national avg
- 3Hattiesburg, MS2.61× national avg
- 4Hot Springs, AR2.61× national avg
- 5Jackson, MS2.34× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Family Medicine PhysiciansLateral Move
- Physician AssistantsLateral Move
- Nurse MidwivesLateral Move
- General Internal Medicine PhysiciansLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Clinical Nurse Leader
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$97,114
- Chamberlain University-Illinois (Addison, IL)grads earn ~$96,132
- Capella University (Minneapolis, MN)grads earn ~$97,211
- Walden University (Minneapolis, MN)grads earn ~$122,823
- Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ)grads earn ~$103,884