THE NP CLUB
Free guide from The NP Club

Local Job-Market Audit

A five-listing audit for the NP jobs you would actually consider, with a downloadable comparison sheet.

Research4 teaching points5 worksheet questions
Start here

Are NP Jobs Really Growing 41%?

Choose one location and role, log at least five current NP openings, and compare the requirements before treating a national forecast as a local job plan.

01

Read the 41% number correctly.

BLS projects nurse practitioner employment will rise from 336,300 in 2025 to 474,100 in 2035. That is 137,800 more jobs, or 41% growth, nationally over ten years. Its separate estimate of 29,400 average annual openings includes replacement needs. Neither number predicts your first job in a particular city.

02

Choose a search you can repeat.

Pick one metro area or reasonable commute, one patient population, and a seven-day search window. Search two job sources plus employer career pages. Save the date and direct URL for at least five distinct current NP postings; remove duplicate listings for the same job.

03

Code each posting in the download.

For each job, record employer, role, patient population, required certification, whether new graduates are eligible, schedule, pay if listed, orientation or mentorship, and commute. Write “not stated” rather than guessing. Do not count a listing that is closed or lacks a source URL.

04

Compare the pattern, then ask one question.

Count how many of your sampled listings request each certification and how many explicitly welcome new graduates. Example only: if two of six sampled postings mention new graduates, that describes those six ads, not your odds of getting hired. Ask a recruiter to clarify requirements missing from a promising ad.

Your free tool

Download the local job audit sheet

Open this CSV in Sheets or Excel. It has fields for five current postings. Record missing details as not stated.

Download the worksheet
Decision rule

Use this before you choose.

Compare at least five current, distinct local postings before using a national growth figure to guide a program choice. If a key requirement is missing from an ad, mark it unknown and ask the employer; do not turn a small listing sample into a hiring guarantee.

5-question worksheet

Make the guide specific to you.

  1. What city, commute radius, patient population, and search dates did you choose?
  2. Which five distinct, current job URLs did you save in the downloadable comparison sheet?
  3. For each listing, what certification, experience level, schedule, pay, and orientation details were stated or not stated?
  4. How many of your sampled postings match your intended certification and welcome new graduates? State the sample size.
  5. Which requirement will you verify with a recruiter, and what is your next search date?
Copy and paste

Copy the message.

Hi, I am exploring NP roles in [city] and saw your [role] opening. Could you confirm which NP certification you accept, whether new graduates are eligible, and what orientation or mentorship is provided? Thank you.

Sources

Check the original information.