Nurse practitioners (N.P.s) are clinicians who treat various health issues while focusing on disease prevention, health management, and patient education. Like physicians, they:
• Evaluate patients
• Order tests
• Diagnose conditions
• Create and manage treatment plans
• Write prescriptions

WHAT IS THEIR TRAINING? 
It’s only after a master’s or doctoral degree program that a registered nurse can become an N.P. There is also advanced clinical training, national certification, and evaluations.

WHERE DO THEY WORK? 
More than 80 percent focus on primary care practices, while others provide care in specialties like oncology or dermatology. 

ON THE RISE
The N.P. career field is booming. In 2025, an estimated 244,000 nurse practitioners will be practicing. Given a projected shortage of primary care physicians by 2020, adding N.P.s into a primary care role helps  alleviate that shortage.