NPNurse Practitioner
NP
Career

Nurse Practitioner

By the numbers
Typical pay
$132,300 / yr
Education to start
Master's degree
Future demand
+40.1% by 2034
People in this job
323K
Figures shown for ·1 O*NET occupation
The work
A day, hour by hour
07:45
Chart prep

Scan today's patient list; flag complex cases before the first appointment.

08:00
Morning patients

See back-to-back visits — head-to-toe exams, histories, quick diagnoses.

10:00
Judgment call

Chest pain in a 52-year-old: treat here or send to the ER right now?

10:30
Labs & results

Interpret bloodwork and imaging; adjust a diabetic patient's medication dose.

11:15
Patient education

Explain a new hypertension diagnosis to a nervous patient — plain language only.

12:00
Documentation

Catch up on EHR notes; every visit recorded in full before afternoon starts.

13:00
Afternoon patients

Chronic-condition follow-ups, prescription renewals, and one walk-in urgent case.

15:30
Referral & consult

Call a cardiologist; coordinate specialist handoff for a patient beyond your scope.

16:30
End-of-day wrap

Sign off remaining charts, review lab alerts, respond to patient portal messages.

Things you do
  • Diagnose illnesses and create a treatment plan for each patient.
  • Prescribe medications and adjust doses based on how patients respond.
  • Examine patients head-to-toe and figure out what's wrong.
  • Order and interpret lab tests, X-rays, and other diagnostic results.
  • Explain a diagnosis to a scared patient in plain, calm language.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Is this patient's symptom something I can treat, or do I need to refer them to a specialist?
  • Does this person actually need this medication, or are they seeking it?
  • Is what I'm seeing a new diagnosis, or a flare-up of something they already have?
  • Should I order more tests, or do I have enough to act right now?
  • Is my patient not following their treatment plan, or do they just not understand it?
Education Pathways · how you get there
100 in 100 went the college route · 0 in 100 found another way in None, typically
Education mapped from O*NET:Nurse Practitioners · 98% related
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