THE NP CLUB
Free guide from The NP Club

Eight-Track Role Map

Meet the 8 paths. Find the one that fits the work you want.

Roles4 teaching points5 worksheet questions
Start here

Which Type of NP Should You Be?

Turn the carousel into a practical eight-track role map you can use while comparing roles, programs, or next steps.

01

Six populations become eight tracks

The APRN model names six patient populations. Adult-gerontology and pediatrics each split into primary and acute care. That gives this map eight NP tracks; specialties can sit on top.

02

Start with your patients

FNP: Family primary care across ages. PMHNP: Psychiatric and mental health across ages. WHNP: Women’s and gender-related health. NNP: Care of premature and ill newborns.

03

Adults and pediatrics each split

Adult-gerontology: AGPCNP: primary care. AGACNP: acute care. Adult-focused preparation, including care through aging. Pediatrics: PNP-PC: primary care. PNP-AC: acute care. Children’s needs, with distinct acuity preparation.

04

Your eight-track NP map

FNP: Family primary care across ages. AGPCNP: Adult-gerontology primary care. AGACNP: Adult-gerontology acute care. PNP-PC: Pediatric primary care. PNP-AC: Pediatric acute care. PMHNP: Mental health across the lifespan. WHNP: Women’s and gender-related health. NNP: Neonatal care.

Decision rule

Use this before you choose.

Compare the population and preparation on your shortlist before comparing school names. ENP is an added specialty; CNM and CNS are separate APRN roles. Save this for your advising call.

5-question worksheet

Make the guide specific to you.

  1. Which patient population do you want to prepare to serve?
  2. What visits, decisions, and pace do you want in a normal workday?
  3. Which setting or acuity preference matters, and which details still need verification?
  4. What clinical experiences must the program provide for this goal?
  5. What will you ask an adviser, student, graduate, or clinician before deciding?
Copy and paste

Copy the message.

Hi [program adviser], I am comparing NP paths and considering [track]. My goal is to work with [population] in [type of visits or care]. I am using the eight-track role map to organize my questions. Could you show me where the curriculum and clinical plan prepare students for that work, including the settings, patient mix, and certification outcome? Thank you.

Sources

Check the original information.