What Is a Nurse Practitioner? Role, Training, and Pay
What is a nurse practitioner? An NP is a registered nurse with graduate education, national certification, and state APRN licensure to diagnose and manage care for a defined patient population. The May 2025 BLS median is $132,300 for all NPs, and projected growth is 41% from 2025 to 2035.
Those figures come from the BLS NP occupation page. They describe the occupation nationally; they do not tell you what a new NP in your specialty and city will earn. The population an NP trained for and the state where they practice tell you much more about their work.
What does a nurse practitioner do?
NPs assess patients, make diagnoses, order and interpret tests, develop treatment plans, prescribe where authorized, and manage follow-up. They also teach patients and families, refer to other clinicians, and work with a care team. Those duties appear in the NCSBN APRN Consensus Model and the BLS role description.
The day itself changes with the role. A family NP in primary care may see patients across the lifespan. A psychiatric-mental health NP concentrates on mental health care. An adult-gerontology acute care NP has different preparation from an adult-gerontology primary care NP. If a job posting says only “NP,” ask which patients, conditions, and decisions make up the actual work. Our guide to what an NP can do goes deeper on duties.
How is an NP different from an RN?
Both are nurses. An RN provides and coordinates patient care under an RN license. An NP is an advanced practice registered nurse with graduate preparation and a separate APRN role, national certification, and state licensure. The NP role adds preparation to diagnose and manage patient problems, order tests, and prescribe within applicable rules.
For a national pay reference, BLS reports a May 2025 median of $97,550 for RNs and $132,300 for NPs. That $34,750 difference compares two occupational medians. It is not a raise you can count on when you graduate: specialty, location, employer, and your RN earnings all affect the personal math. See the fuller RN versus NP comparison.
Which kinds of nurse practitioners are there?
The NCSBN Consensus Model separates the NP role from the population focus an NP is educated and certified to serve. It names six population foci; pediatric and adult-gerontology preparation may be further divided into primary and acute care.
| Population focus | NP track you may see | Patients or care emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Family/across the lifespan | FNP | People across age groups |
| Adult-gerontology | AGPCNP or AGACNP | Adults, with primary or acute care preparation |
| Psychiatric-mental health | PMHNP | Mental health care |
| Pediatrics | PNP-PC or PNP-AC | Children, with primary or acute care preparation |
| Neonatal | NNP | Newborns with neonatal care needs |
| Women’s health/gender-related | WHNP | Women’s and gender-related health care |
CNM and CNS are separate APRN roles, not types of NP. Emergency NP is another term you may meet in jobs and programs; it is not one of NCSBN’s six population foci. If those labels are new, use the NP population-focus explainer or the broader types of nurse practitioners guide.
Can an NP practice independently?
That depends on the state and the specific work. AANP’s state practice map groups jurisdictions as full, reduced, or restricted practice. In reduced or restricted states, a regulated agreement, supervision, or another limit can apply to part of NP practice. The NCSBN also notes that states have not adopted every Consensus Model element uniformly.
State authority is only one check. Education and certification need to fit the patient population and care needs; an employer may also set credentialing and privileges for a job. If prescribing is your question, start with the NP prescriptive-authority guide, then verify the current rules with the board in the state where the patient receives care.
How do you become a nurse practitioner?
The usual route begins with RN licensure, followed by a graduate NP program in a population focus, a national certification exam, and state APRN licensure. BLS says APRNs need at least a master’s degree and that education includes clinical experience. Exact admission routes, certification eligibility, and licensure requirements vary.
Before you compare school names, decide which patients and care needs you want your training to cover. Then check that a program’s specific track leads to the certification you need, that it is authorized where you intend to complete clinical work, and that you understand its clinical-placement policy. The NP school requirements guide and specialty-choice guide can help you build that shortlist. Compare program tracks only after you know which role you are shopping for.
Official sources and wage figures checked October 13, 2026. State rules, certification requirements, and program policies can change.