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.

Typical tasks

1. 1Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
2. 2Develop treatment plans, based on scientific rationale, standards of care, and professional practice guidelines.
3. 3Provide patients with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, or prevent disease or disability.
4. 4Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.
5. 5Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.
6. 6Prescribe medication dosages, routes, and frequencies, based on such patient characteristics as age and gender.
7. 7Diagnose or treat chronic health care problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
8. 8Prescribe medications based on efficacy, safety, and cost as legally authorized.
9. 9Recommend diagnostic or therapeutic interventions with attention to safety, cost, invasiveness, simplicity, acceptability, adherence, and efficacy.
10. 10Detect and respond to adverse drug reactions, with special attention to vulnerable populations such as infants, children, pregnant and lactating women, or older adults.

Technology used

• Epic Systems
• MEDITECH software
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Microsoft Word
• eClinicalWorks EHR software

How to become one

Education

The most common level among workers surveyed is a master's degree (65%). 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).

Experience

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their 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.