Nurse Practitioners
Also known as: ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner), Adult Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) (+33 more)
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.
Take the free 15-minute assessment to compare this role with your profile, your current fit, and nearby alternatives
What You'll Do
- Educate patients about self-management of acute or chronic illnesses, tailoring instructions to patients' individual circumstances.
- Schedule follow-up visits to monitor patients or evaluate health or illness care.
- Counsel patients about drug regimens and possible side effects or interactions with other substances, such as food supplements, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, or herbal remedies.
- Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests, such as complete blood counts (CBCs), electrocardiograms (EKGs), and radiographs (x-rays).
- Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.
- Diagnose or treat acute health care problems, such as illnesses, infections, or injuries.
- Diagnose or treat chronic health care problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Diagnose or treat complex, unstable, comorbid, episodic, or emergency conditions in collaboration with other health care providers as necessary.
- Treat or refer patients for primary care conditions, such as headaches, hypertension, urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, and dermatological conditions.
- Consult with, or refer patients to, appropriate specialists when conditions exceed the scope of practice or expertise.
Essential Skills
Career Fit Overview
Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.
Top passions
- Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
- Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
- Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
Common styles
Attention to Detail, Dependability, Integrity, Empathy, Cooperation
Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.
Key Abilities
This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:
Technologies & Tools
Work Environment & Strengths
Common Strengths for This Career
- Attention to Detail (High importance: 5.0/5)
- Dependability (High importance: 4.95/5)
- Integrity (High importance: 4.95/5)
- Empathy (High importance: 4.74/5)
- Cooperation (High importance: 4.73/5)
Want to see how YOUR strengths align with this career?
Take Free 15-Min Assessment →How to Become One
This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.
Similar Careers to Explore
Physician Assistants
99.7% similar profile
Registered Nurses
99.7% similar profile
Critical Care Nurses
99.7% similar profile
Emergency Medicine Physicians
99.7% similar profile
Family Medicine Physicians
99.7% similar profile
Audiologists
99.5% similar profile
Obstetricians and Gynecologists
99.5% similar profile
Naturopathic Physicians
99.4% similar profile
Also Known As
This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:
Career Fit FAQs
Is this career a good fit for me
This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.
Can this help if I want to stay in my field
Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.
What should I compare first
Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.
Ready to Compare This Career to Your Profile?
Use the assessment to compare your current role, inspect nearby options, and see whether this career is a stronger fit for how you work.
Take Free Assessment (15 min) →